


capsize me and douse me in your bay

by cheryltonis, endofdaysforme



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: ChONI AU, F/F, Human Toni/Mermaid Cheryl, The mermaid au no one asked for, choni, soft babies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2020-02-02
Packaged: 2020-07-24 19:35:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 121,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20019892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cheryltonis/pseuds/cheryltonis, https://archiveofourown.org/users/endofdaysforme/pseuds/endofdaysforme
Summary: toni loved the ocean as a kid. if she could choose between living on land or living at sea, she would choose the latter without hesitation. but over a decade after a fatal accident turns her world upside down, a mysterious woman comes into her life and changes everything once again.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> hallo! this is a new idea that i don’t think anyone has done before, and you know syd and maria love au’s more than life itself. we’re excited for this one and hopefully it doesn’t disappoint!
> 
> HEY Y’ALL, MARIA HERE, JUST FYI, SYD WROTE ALL THIS AND I DID NOTHING BUT GIVE IDEAS AND SUPPORT. SHOW YOURS BY COMMENTING. SHE’S KIND OF AMAAAAZING. 💛

Toni Topaz loved the ocean. At six years old, she could tie knots almost expertly and differentiate east from west just by looking at where the sun lay in the sky. She knew the ins and outs of sailing with the help of her father, who seemed to know the waters like the back of his hand. He had a sixth sense when it came to the ocean. Just by looking out the window of their beachside house, he could tell whether it was a good day for sailing or not, as if the ocean had told him itself.

The Topaz family had been living in the small fishing town of Riverdale for generations, each father had been teaching their sons the ins and outs of the sport pretty much since the town was founded. But after the untimely death of his wife three years ago, Anthony Topaz knew that their only daughter could continue the family tradition just as well as any boy. And he worked tirelessly to make sure of it.

"We watched The Little Mermaid and Ariel kissed the prince at the end, it was gross," six year old Toni's squeaky voice just barely registered over the crash of the waves against the shore as she chased a few seagulls on the dock. "She lives in the ocean and has a tail. Why would she wanna come on land? And kiss a yucky _boy?_ "

"Probably the same reason you wanna spend all your time on the boat instead of at school," F.P. chuckled as he and Anthony tied the company boat to the wooden dock to keep it grounded for the night, "School's boring and the oceans mysterious and exciting. Allison probably felt just the opposite."

" _Ariel,_ " she corrected him with a sassy roll of her eyes, the spitting image of her mother, "Daddy, are mermaids real?"

"As real as the sun setting over that horizon," Anthony smiled at his daughter as he ran over to scoop her up, making her giggle as he tickled her sides.

"Come on, Tony, don't fill the kid's head with those old fish tales," F.P. shook his head and tightened the rope once more for good measure.

Toni's giggles stopped as her face fell, "You don't believe in mermaids, Uncle F.P.?"

"Don't gimme those sad eyes, kid, I just think it's a little far-fetched. I mean, if mermaids were real, don't you think I woulda seen one by now? Or heard about it from someone else? I mean come on, the ocean's our backyard."

"Maybe your face just scares'em all away," Anthony chuckled, making his daughter laugh as he carries her back to the house with F.P. trailing behind. He was very grateful for F.P. Jones. The two had been like brothers all their lives, since their great-grandfathers started the Serpentine Fishing Company back in the early 1900's. Tony had been there for F.P. after his wife took off with their infant daughter, leaving him alone with their six year old son. And being the loyal and grateful friend he was, F.P. had been there for Tony in return after Violet passed away.

It wasn't easy being a single dad, but Tony always made sure to keep his daughter happy and safe like he promised his wife he would. She had been the best mother to Toni, and he could only hope that he could fill her shoes. But with F.P.'s help, it got a little easier with each passing day.

That night after dinner, a bath, and a short bedtime story, Toni looked up at her father with a sleepy smile as he moved around the room, checking her closet and under her bed for monsters. "Daddy, you don't have to check for monsters anymore," she yawned, rubbing her eyes with a little fist.

Anthony turned around, surprised. He'd been checking Toni's room for imaginary monsters since she was three when the nightmares began to plague her after her mother's death. "Are you sure?"

"Mmhm," she nodded, "I'm not a'scared no more."

"Oh. Well...okay," he sighed, sitting on the edge of her bed, bringing a hand up to run through her curly brown hair before leaning over to kiss her forehead, "Night, Toni-bug."

"Are we still gonna go wayyyy out on the water tomorrow? It's been _forever_."

"It's been a week," the man chuckled, but nodded, "Bright and early, so make sure you get plenty of sleep, okay? I'm gonna need my first mate to be awake and alert."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

"Daddy? Do you ever think we'll meet a mermaid?" little Toni hugged her stuffed bear tighter to her chest. The golden heart shaped locket around her father's neck caught the light from her lamp, the reflection shining in her eyes.

"Maybe one day, bug. But you can see as many of them as you want in your dreams, so you better hurry up and go to sleep. I love you."

"Love you too," she giggled as he kissed her head once more before getting up to leave the room, turning off the light. "Daddy?"

"Yeah, munchkin?"

"C-can you turn my night light on?" she asked timidly. She wasn't afraid anymore. She would fight any monster that dared come near her...but the dark was still pretty scary.

Tony just breathed out a gentle laugh, leaning down to turn on his daughter's nightlight, projecting pale blue ocean ripples around the dark room. Even he felt a sense of serenity watching the lights as the waves gently hit the shore outside her open window.

"Goodnight, bug."

**xxx**

"You promised!" Toni stomped her foot on the creaky wooden dock, staring up at her father with tears brimming in her eyes.

"Toni, it's not a good day today, okay? Just-"

"Daddy, it's sunny! The weatherman said there was no chance of storms or even rain!" she pouted, stomping her feet again, "Please, Daddy, you promised!"

Tony looked at F.P. as he was helping his ten year old son up the ladder and onto the deck of Violet, his personal boat. "Bug-"

"The kid's got a point, Tony," the other man cut him off, "I know you've got your instincts and all, but it can't be right _every_ time. Sun's barely up and the clouds are already clearing. That's a good sign."

Tony glanced between the orange horizon and his tearful daughter once more before sighing, nodding his head and handing the little girl to his friend, who strapped a pink life vest securely onto her. With a bit of uncertainty, he untied the line that kept them docked before climbing up and onto the main deck.

"Loosen up a little, Tone," F.P. slapped his back before loosening the mainsail, "We're just going ten miles out. If we see things starting to get rocky, we'll just turn around and head back. No big deal."

Tony nodded and cleared his throat, starting to steer the boat away from the dock. Once they were far enough out, F.P. raised the mainsail, tightening his grip on the rope and tying it up once they had set sail, letting the breeze do its job.

A few miles out and Anthony finally began to relax thanks to the sight of his daughter smiling and having the time of her life. Toni loved being on the water just as he had raised her to. The same couldn't be said for F.P., as Jughead would rather be at home drawing or writing than being out at sea. But if Toni had a choice between having a big mansion with all the toys she could ever want in the middle of nowhere and being on a modest fishing boat at sea, she would choose the latter every time.

"Daddy, can I steer?" she came running up to her father, bouncing in her worn out sneakers.

"Maybe on the way back, bug. Why don't you go keep Jug company on the bow?"

The little girl pouted, but did as he said, bringing a smile back to her face as she went to sit with the older boy who was like a brother to her towards the front of the boat.

"You think those two are gonna keep this business running when we get to be too old?" F.P. chuckled, coming up behind Anthony as he nodded towards the two kids, "Toni, I can trust. If only my kid would get his head out of the clouds and into the water."

"Hey, you don't have to be a sailor or a fisherman to run a fishing company," Anthony pat his back reassuringly.

After about an hour journey, the boat was stilled in the calm waters with only the famous Riverdale lighthouse just barely visible in the distance. The four were enjoying the gentle rocking of the boat and the sound of water lapping at the sides as they finished up their lunch, too caught up in lighthearted conversation to realize the clouds forming overhead.

"Those don't look too friendly," F.P. commented, looking up at the dark clouds forming overhead and blocking out the sun, "Guess we should be heading back."

Anthony nodded and helped the kids clean up while his business partner adjusted and raised the sails. Thunder was rapidly approaching as the boat started to sway with the waves forming in the wind.

"Jug, why don't you take Toni below deck," Anthony muttered, trying to keep his voice neutral. He knew today wasn't a good day.

"No, Daddy, I can help!" the little girl shook her head as her ponytail swung behind her.

"Toni, it's starting to rain, the deck's gonna get slippery, it's not gonna be very safe up here," F.P. chimed in, "Go on, we're gonna outrun this storm and be back home before you know it."

With an intense pout, Toni let Jughead lead her to the little trapdoor that lead to the little room below the main deck. It was small, but cozy with a little cot and a stationary table where she would usually color or do her homework.

"It's not fair," she huffed, plopping down in one of the chairs around the little round table, resting her chin in her hands.

Jughead sat on the cot and relaxed back into the pillows against the wall with a shrug. "Do you really think you'd be much help? I mean, you're only six. You wouldn't be able to steer or adjust the sails. Not during a storm."

Toni just stuck her tongue out at him before getting up to get one of her coloring books and some crayons. The rocking of the boat was causing things to fall off the shelves faster than she could pick them up.

"Jug..." her voice trembled a bit as the boat thrashed back and forth uncontrollably.

The older boy got up and carefully made his way to the table to sit with her. "It's okay, Toni. Just sing your mom's song. That always makes you feel better, right?" He smiled sympathetically as the scared little girl nodded before she started to sing.

_I can see clearly now the rain is gone._

_I can see all obstacles in my way._

_Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind._

_It's gonna be a-_

"I told you we shouldn't have come out today!" her father's angry voice could be heard muffled through the ceiling, "I've always trusted my gut, F.P.! The one time I don't and look what happens!"

"Don't blame me for this asshole, I didn't force you out here! You're a grown man, you can make your own decisions!"

Tears formed in Toni's eyes as she swallowed thickly, knowing it was her fault that they were in this mess. She just wanted to go sailing with her daddy. Now that she had started school, they didn't get to do it nearly as often. She wanted to learn and spend time with him. She should have listened to him. Her dad was always right. And now they were in danger.

Because of her.

"Keep singing, Toni, it's okay," Jughead pulled her into a hug, noticing that her breathing was starting to pick up speed from nerves.

_I-it's gonna b-be a bright_

_Bright, s-s-_

Her body started to tremble, leaving her practically vibrating as her teeth chattered from fear and guilt. Shaking her head, she pushed Jughead away harshly. Not to be mean, but she just couldn't breathe. Not with him squeezing her like that. She fumbled around for the buckles of her life jacket. Why did Uncle F.P. always have to make it so tight?

With her breathing uneven and her forehead starting to sweat, Toni managed to unbuckle the puffy pink vest, easing her arms out of it as she started to see spots. The thunder was crackling and rumbling above them. She could hear the harsh waves and the whistle of wind. And even all that didn't drown out the noise of her dad and uncle fighting on the deck above. She had to apologize. Apologizing made everything better, right? She could just get them to hug it out like her teacher made her do with kids she fought with at school.

"Toni, put your vest back on! What are you doing?" the older boy looked at her incredulously as she got up from her seat and unsteadily made her way towards the ladder that lead to the upper deck. "Toni!"

"I have to see my Daddy, I have to tell him I'm sorry!" her voice was weak but thick from tears as she sniffled, little sobs and whines escaping her as she struggled to climb the ladder as the boat continued to sway harshly.

"Toni, don't go up there!" Jughead shot up to chase after her. But the little girl moved too fast and he was almost immediately thrown to his knees as the floor beneath him rocked and shifted.

Wiping her eyes, Toni made her way to the top deck, letting the door close underneath her as she squinted in the heavy rain. "I'm sorry!" she yelled, her voice drowned out entirely by the wind and thunder. Her feet nearly slipped out from underneath her as a wave struck the side of the boat. "Daddy, I'm sorry!" she tried again, this time catching the attention of the two men.

"Toni, go back below deck and put your lifejacket on!" her dad yelled at her. Her dad never yelled at her. But she knew not to question him or go against what he said. Not with that scary voice.

Gasping in fear, she turned to go back below deck, but was immediately splashed by a wave that came over the edge. The strong water was forceful enough to knock her off her feet, dragging her with it to the edge of the boat when it receded back over the edge of the port quarter. With the boat swaying and the waves coming over the edge, the little girl was defenseless against the elements. And her father coming to her rescue was the last thing Toni saw before a large shift in the waves sent her over the edge of the boat and into the dark grey water.

She heard her name being called out before she found herself submerged below the sea, bubbles and the muffled rumble of thunder were all she could hear. The water was cold and it was going up her nose, making it hard to focus on trying to swim back to the surface.

The salty water stung her eyes when she blinked them open, desperate to see where she was going. She saw movement beside her and she immediately panicked as she felt something scaly against her leg. She'd never been afraid of the ocean until today.

Struggling to move her arms and legs, she tried her best to keep holding her breath when she saw movement again. Coming towards her this time. She just hoped and prayed that it wasn't a shark. Or a whale that would eat her up like in Pinocchio. She could barely start to make out a face. It was too pale to be her father, and they didn't have his same beard. When it came closer, it looked like a little girl. Maybe about her age. Her eyes widened as she watched the girl's long red hair flowed behind her. She looked so calm. How could she be so calm right now? They were trapped below the water in a storm!

Toni attempted to swim again, finding it even harder to move as she began to grow tired, her brain fuzzy from not breathing. The pale redhead girl in front of her moved again and Toni could feel the cold scales against her legs again as she was pulled up towards the surface. And with what little energy she had left, she looked down to see a shiny, rapidly flipping iridescent tail attached to the girl's bare hips just before she lost sight of everything.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hallo again! Hopefully y’all are enjoying this so far. This chapter is still kind of prologue-y, but the next one (which will be posted next Sunday, since we doing Sunday updates) will jumpstart the main plot a bit more. Anywho lemme shut up. Enjoy!

_Toni cast her dark brown eyes towards the ocean. The very ocean that took her father from her just a month ago. She always thought that the sea was her friend, but in a matter of hours that day, it had turned into her wild and unpredictable enemy. Despite her young age, she was aware and understanding of the concept of death, unlike most kids in her class._

_"And as we mourn the loss of our friend and neighbor Anthony Marcus Topaz, we remember that..." the man in black spoke solemnly to the audience standing in the sand, but little Toni let his words go in one ear and out the other, too distracted by the calm and gentle waves lapping at the shore. They weren't calm and gentle that day..._

_They had done everything they could, searching everywhere for her father. There was a whole month of search parties before they gave up hope that Anthony was still alive somewhere out there. And with no body to bury or cremate, F.P. decided to have a simple memorial for him on the beach, an open invitation extended to everyone in their small town. The turnout wasn't extravagant, but it was surprising to see just how many people in Riverdale knew and loved Tony._

_Sniffling, Toni looked down at the lily in her hands, gently petting the petal with a shaky finger. She had cried a lot over the last month, and she wasn't sure she would ever go a day without crying again. Uncle F.P. told her that she was a tough cookie, but there was no shame in crying. She had even seen him crying a few times, not that he knew she was looking._

_She looked up at her uncle who was standing right beside her with a large hand rested on her shoulder. His beard was scruffier than normal and his eyes were dull and dark around the edges. He was looking more and more tired every day. But he would still drive her to school every morning and tuck her in every night. She insisted that he didn't have to take her in. She could live on her own and take care of herself like a big girl. But he told her that's just not how it works. But he made her feel welcome, letting her decorate her room like she wanted. Her bedroom at her house was ocean themed, but now the ocean was the last thing she wanted to think about. Gone were the days of seashells and other nautical decorations._

_"And so we say goodbye to Anthony. May his soul rest peacefully," the man in black turned to lay the lily he was holding into the water, letting the wave carry it away as the rest of the mourners did the same._

_Toni trembled as Uncle F.P. lead her to the edge of the water, holding her hand as they laid their flowers amongst the foamy ripples. Jughead laid his down after coming up from behind them. He had been taking photographs with his grandfather's old camera from the back of the crowd, remaining quiet and respectful enough that no one knew he was there. Toni watched the ten year old hold the camera to his face, watching him capture the image of dozens of lilies floating in the ocean._

_"Can I try?" she asked quietly, holding her hands up for the bulky device._

_Jughead offered her a sympathetic smile as he nodded, taking the camera strap off his neck. "Sure," he knelt down beside her, holding the boxy camera up for her to hold, "This right here, that's the viewfinder. Just look through that until you find what you wanna take a picture of. And once you get it, just click the button on top."_

_The little girl squinted as she held the camera to her face just like he had been. The sky was a pretty gradient of pinks, oranges, purples, and blues. And it reflected beautifully against the water as the sun set over the horizon. Toni always remembered how much her dad loved to watch the sunset. Almost as much as he loved the sunrise._

_Sticking out her tongue in concentration, Toni pressed down on the button until she heard a click and felt the device vibrate a little in her hands. "That's it?" she asked, confused._

_"That's it," Jughead nodded, taking the camera back from her, "We'll see the picture in a few weeks when we get the film developed."_

_That made her smile for the first time in what seemed like the first time over the past four weeks. It wasn't the same, ear-to-ear smile that F.P. was used to seeing on her, but it was a start. And for once, he was grateful for his son's quirky little hobbies._

**xxx**

"Toni," Jughead's voice brought the eighteen year old out of her memories, "Somethin' wrong with the camera?"

Toni tore her eyes from his grandfather's camera that had been gifted to her back in her freshman year of high school. At that point, Jughead had hardly touched it since writing had turned out to be his passion. But it still surprised Toni to see it wrapped up in pink paper and bows for her fourteenth birthday. Since the memorial for her father, she had taken such an interest in photography. And it proved to be great replacement for her old sailing hobby.

"No, just kinda...got caught up in my own thoughts again," she shook her head with a breathy laugh, packing the camera into her padded case with the rest of her equipment.

"You excited about New York?" the college graduate plopped down on her bed, watching her pace around the room as she packed up her belongings.

"You have no idea. I've been waiting to get out of this town since like, second grade," she rolled her eyes, "I hate it here."

"Good to know we've made the last decade so miserable for you," F.P.'s gruff voice in the doorway startled them both.

"Dad-"

"Uncle F.P., you know that's not what I meant," Toni interrupted and shook her head, not really in the mood for another argument. Ever since she was sixteen and had told him about her plans to move away with whatever money was left to her by her father, he had started to act bitter and petty towards her. She tried not to let it get to her. Over a decade later and he was still grieving the loss of his closest friend and business partner. She knew he didn't mean the hurtful things he said. But he was the closest thing to a dad she had now, so knowing that he was disappointed was difficult for her to deal with.

F.P. eyed his brown-haired niece, sucking his teeth as he stepped farther into the room with a near-empty beer can in his fist. "Why the city, huh? What's New York got that Riverdale doesn't? Besides a rat infestation and a few gay bars."

"Opportunities? Freedom?" Toni sighed, continuing to pack up her clothes into a large purple suitcase, "I already have a job offer at a local newspaper...and Veronica said she needed a roommate."

"You know your dad wouldn't approve of this, right?" the older man folded his arms across his chest.

"Dad, don't start," Jughead attempted to step in, but he was silenced by his father's hand raising in a shushing manner.

"Your dad, wherever he is, wherever his soul is roaming, he is shaking his head at you right now. He had such high hopes for you to be a part of this company!" F.P.'s voice got louder as he went on, "He wanted you to be a part of it, not to take his share and flit off to the city with it!"

"I don't think he would be too pleased with you either, drinking yourself into oblivion and yelling at his daughter!" she shot back, tears starting to form in her eyes. Talking about her dad eventually got easier over the years, but she couldn't bear the idea of him being disappointed in her. "Not only that, but using him to guilt trip me into staying in this miserable town to help you run the company because you're never sober enough to handle it on your own? You think he would be okay with that?"

"At least I'm still in it! I made a promise to your father that I would keep this company going! I could easily give up, retire and spend the rest of my life going out fishing every day! You don't see me emptying my bank account and breaking promises I made to him. You don't think I'm miserable here, Toni?! You're not the only one who's world changed when he died! I didn't have to take you in! I could've let you get chewed up and spit out in foster care! But I took you in cause I love you and I promised your dad that I would look after you, and this is how you repay me?!"

The brunette's vision went blurry as the tears started to spill onto her cheeks, pushing past her uncle to run down the stairs. She ignored the sounds of them calling out her name as she nearly stumbled out the back door and down the steps of the back deck. Her bare feet were immediately met with the soft, warm sand of the beach, slowing her down as she approached the shoreline. She watched tearfully as the waves crashed against the sand. She remembered standing in the same spot as a kid, praying that a message from her father would wash onto the shore in a glass bottle like she saw in movies. But after a few years, she stopped searching for them.

With a rapidly beating heart, she tentatively approached the water. She had barely set foot in the ocean since the accident. The water terrified her. That fateful fall day had also been the last time she had been on a boat. Violet had been docked ever since.

She took in a shaky breath as she let the waves roll over her shins, feeling herself start to sink in the sand below her feet. The breeze was calm, as were the waves. Sometimes she hated the calm water. It was like the ocean was rubbing it in her face, teasing her with the gentle ripples when the last memory she had of it was the strong grey waves that pulled her in so forcefully.

"I'm sorry, Daddy," she whimpered quietly, her chin wobbling a bit as she allowed herself to get used to the feeling of the salty water on her feet for the last time before she left. "I hope he's wrong. I hope you're not disappointed in me. I just...I can't do it. Not without you. It wouldn't feel right. But...I'm doing what makes me happy. And I hope that makes you happy too. I'm gonna do great things in New York, Daddy I promise. I might not be chasing your dream, but I'm chasing mine." The waves just continued to flow around her ankles as she sniffled, her tears falling into the water.

"I love you, Daddy. Give Mama a kiss for me," she whispered and squeezed her eyes shut before making her way back to the house, unaware of the warm, curious brown eyes watching her from below the dock not too far away.

**xxx**

**  
_One Year Later_  
**

Toni fumbled with her keys, holding the mail between her teeth as she struggled to get through the door without dropping anything. Two bags of groceries from the bodega around the corner from her work, her backpack, and her portfolio were all threatening to slip from her arms before she got them settled on the table. "Ronnie?" she called out once the mail was settled on the table as well.

"Did you get it?" Veronica came rushing in, presumably from her bedroom down the hall. Toni had never seen her so pale and flustered.

"Yeah, you owe me ten bucks," Toni rolled her eyes, tossing her the two-count box of pregnancy tests, "You and Reggie seriously need to be more careful. I can't keep buying these for you every few weeks. The cashier at the bodega has started giving me weird looks ever since the third time."

"You know I can't go out and get them myself. My father would kill me if word got back to him," Veronica unwrapped the plastic stick before darting to the bathroom.

"Or Reggie could invest in some condoms every now and then!" Toni called after her, sighing and shaking her head as she went to put her groceries away before going through the mail.

Bills for her, bills for Veronica, junk mail, Victoria's Secret catalog...

She bit her lip at the last envelope, seeing her name jotted down in Jughead's scratchy handwriting. The older boy insisted on sending her handwritten letters rather than a text, and email, even a phone call would be better. It was endearing, but she always felt like an asshole when she couldn't find the time to write back.

Taking the envelope with her, she padded down the hall to her room, brushing pink streaked hair from her face as she sat on her bed, leaning against the padded headboard. She didn't know why, but every time she got a letter from the boy who was basically her brother, she always had a sinking feeling that it had something to do with her uncle. Whether it was his health deteriorating or him going missing after a night of drinking. She and F.P. hadn't spoken since the day she left for New York, and as bad as she felt about that, she just couldn't let go of what he said to her.

_Toni,_

_Just checking in to see how you're doing. Things are okay here. Dad's working on trying to sell the company. He's not really able to do it on his own anymore. That wasn't meant to be a guilt trip or anything. I don't think he likes having me around very much. I wanna move out with what I've saved up from packing groceries at the Stop-n-Shop for the last six years, but I'm not sure if I should leave him alone right now. He just got his thirty day chip from AA, though. It's progress._

_I miss you a lot. It's not the same around here without you. Dad misses you too even if he won't admit it. Write be back if you want. Or shoot me a text, I guess. Even though I still think it's super impersonal._

_Love you, T. Don't be a stranger._

_\- Jug_

_P.S. Betty says hi. She wants to come visit you someday if you won't come here._

Toni just laughed and rolled her eyes, unaware of the tears that had fallen as she read the short letter. It was a Saturday, she didn't have to work in the morning. Technically she wasn't supposed to work today either. Maybe just this once, she would appease him. She got up from her bed and sat down at her desk, fishing out some paper and a pen with purple ink. She hadn't written anything in so long, she was sure her penmanship would be similar to what it was back in third grade.

_Jug,_

_Good to hear from you again. Sorry I've been an ass and just texted you instead of writing back. I've been pretty busy with work. They finally moved me up from fetching coffees and running errands to actually being a part of the production team. Just one step closer to doing photojournalism for the New York Times or USA Today! When my first article is published, I'll make sure to send you a framed copy._

_That's great about your dad getting his thirty day chip! I know he'd been struggling for a while, and I hope he's happier and proud of himself for what he's doing. I know you must be proud of him too. I'm sorry to hear about him selling the company, though. Hopefully once he gets himself back on track he'll change his mind. I do feel a little guilty. I mean, Serpentine's been around for over a century. I know it wouldn't be easy on him emotionally, but maybe he can just try to find new business partners instead of selling. Keep me posted on how things go!_

_Love always,_

_Toni_

_P.S. Tell Betty I said hi back! She's welcome anytime. So are you._

She smiled and capped her pen after dotting her 'i' with a star like she used to as a kid. She didn't know when that habit died out, but she was honestly considering bringing it back.

"There is a god, Toni! Another false alarm, thank fuck," Veronica appeared in her doorway, the color back in her cheeks now that she had her answer, "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, just writing my brother," she sent her a bit of a grin as she folded up the paper and searched for an envelope. Veronica didn't know that Jughead wasn't really her brother. To the raven haired girl, Jughead and F.P. were her real brother and father. There was no need for her to know the truth. And Toni didn't really want to tell it.

"The scrawny white boy? He still insists on sending you hand-written letters?" Veronica moved over to flop down on the bed, propping her chin in her hands, "Aside from your nerdy photography hobby, you're too cool to be related to such a geek."

"Hey, watch it. That nerdy hobby provides you with new headshots every time you change your hair," Toni pointed, ignoring her comments about Jughead. He was kind of a geek, but he was family.

"Okay, you're right. But seriously, T, you need a more fun and exciting hobby. One that doesn't directly relate to your job."

"We can't all be New York City socialites in our spare time, Ronnie," she spun around in her chair to face her roommate.

"Don't knock it til you try it. There's a benefit I'm making an appearance at tomorrow night! Come be my plus one, I'll just tell Reggie to hang out with his friends."

"I dunno..."

"Come on, Toni. When's the last time you put on a fancy dress and had some fun?" the Latina took note of her silence, "Exactly. So you're coming with me tomorrow night whether you like it or not."

Toni looked across the small space and into Veronica's perpetually icy, persuasive stare, throwing her head back in defeat. "Fine. But I'm not drinking...a lot."

"Fine by me. But we're gonna find you a hot chick to take home."

"No."

"But-"

"I'm drawing the line, Veronica."

"Fine. But god, Toni, you need some excitement in your life. Seriously has anything just wild and crazy ever happened to you?"

"Well-"

"And not something that happened at work."

Toni bit her lip. She'd never told anyone about her near brush with death as a child. Or what she thought she saw under those relentless waves. No one would believe her, even if she believed it herself.

"I guess not. Except when I packed up my life and moved here."

"For _work_."

"Okay, I see your point," she rolled her eyes, turning back to her desk to seal up the envelope, writing out the addresses and sticking a stamp in the corner. Maybe Veronica was right. All she did was work and come home. She could probably stand for a little excitement.

**_Meanwhile..._ **

Stumbling pale feet stepped clumsily out of the moonlit water, feeling the warm sand for the very first time. The girl, bare as a newborn baby, glanced around the empty beach, breathing in the salty air with a wide grin. She brought a hand up to the shiny golden locket around her neck, clutching the pendant tightly as the cool breeze blew through her damp hair.

"Toni," she whispered, taking in a deep breath as she walked determinedly up the small beach, stumbling with every step.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok they’re finally meeting after a prologue and a half. enjoy and happy sunday!
> 
> also the title is a lyric from the song “reunion” by m83 which you should definitely go listen to.

Leaning her head against her desk, Toni's pink hair would have fallen into her coffee if it weren't covered. She wasn't supposed to be here. Not on a Sunday. But she was a sucker for her job and quite the overachiever. Sue her for wanting to get a head start on her assignment for the week instead of sitting bored at home while she waited for Veronica's benefit to start. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't at least a little excited for it. It felt like she hadn't gone out in so long. She wasn't exactly a party girl back in Riverdale, but she definitely knew how to have fun.

Groaning, she tried to type out the words she needed, but it just wasn't happening. She was more of a photographer than a writer. But unfortunately, she boasted about her writing abilities to get her current job. Thankfully she worked for a weekly newspaper and didn't need to rush as much as she would for a daily one. And it was certainly a good idea that she decided to come into the empty office on a Sunday morning to get a head start.

But she was pushing three hours at her desk and she was getting nowhere.  
Reaching for her coffee, she was in the middle of taking a sip of the now cold liquid when she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

"Toni!" a loud, unfamiliar voice made her nearly jump ten feet out of her seat. Scrambling for her keys, she stumbled to her feet and grabbed her mace keychain, standing up to face the person behind her. The little newspaper office wasn't in the safest neighborhood and it wouldn't be the first time someone had broken in to steal and pawn off expensive equipment.

_What the hell?_

The person didn't look threatening in the slightest. She was maybe two inches taller than her, long red hair that went down to her hips, pale skin and pearly white teeth. She was barefoot, wearing a pair of ill-fitting boxers and a Riverdale High t-shirt that looked two sizes too big for her.

Riverdale High?

Did she know this girl? She didn't look familiar. And she didn't remember ever having trysts with any redheads back in her partying days. And she was sure that she would remember this one, who despite the wide brown eyes and eerily large smile, was actually pretty hot.

"Toni," the stranger said again, stepping closer, but Toni stepped back, still holding up the mace, ready to burn the hell out of this girl's eyes if she tried anything crazy. Hell, she'd apparently been walking barefoot around the dirty city streets and sidewalks.

"Who are you? How do you know my name?"

"Hey!" a third voice came into the mix, loud and masculine.

The redhead whipped around, not losing her smile as she waved at the large and sweaty man who trudged into the room behind her.

"You owe me sixty bucks!" he panted in the girl's direction, coughing into his hand. His face was red as if he'd just run a mile.

"Do you know her?" Toni asked him, still holding the mace up with nothing but confusion and a bit of fear in her eyes.

"Toni!" she smiled at the man and pointed in the pinkette's direction, apparently excited for them to meet.

"No, but evidently she knows you. And one of you owes me sixty bucks or I'm calling the cops!" he said gruffly in his thick Long Island accent.

Keeping the little travel canister of pepper spray up and aimed, Toni fished out her wallet and handed the man three twenty dollar bills, her eyes darting back and forth between the two strangers who had barged into her workspace.

"C-can I ask what she owes you money for?" she stammered, hoping that it wasn't anything that was going to get her into some kind of trouble.

"Yeah, she got in my cab, kept saying 'Toni' and 'New York Observer' over and over again. The whole damn ride," he pocketed the money and crossed his arms over his chest, "And then when I pull up, she bolts outta the back seat and into the building without payin' me. Do you know how hard it is to find a parking spot on this side'a town? I couldn't just leave my cab on the side'a the street!"

"I'm sorry for the trouble, I don't even know wh-" Toni started, but cut herself off when the redhead stepped closer to her, reaching out to play with ends of her pink streaked hair, humming happily to herself. "Where did you pick her up from?" she furrowed her brows and tried to step away from the touch, lowering her mace to her side.

"She was standin' in front of some apartment complex on the corner of Bedford and Grove."

"That's my building," she muttered quietly, starting to get a headache, "I swear, I don't know her."

"Well, she obviously knows you," the cab driver shrugged and turned around to leave.

"Wait, you're gonna just leave me here with her?" Toni stepped forward, feeling the girl's pale fingers still playing in the ends of her hair behind her.

"Look, lady, I just drive cabs. I'm not a babysitter. Good luck, though," he waved her off with a scoff, muttering to himself about how he's getting too old for this job.

"Good luck!" Toni flinched as the girl called out to him from behind her, a smile still present on her pink lips as she toyed with her hair.

"Okay, stop," she pulled away from her, turning to face her, "Who are you? Obviously you're from Riverdale, but how do you know me? How did you find me? How do you know where I live, where I work-"

"Looking for Toni. New York Observer," she said softly, still smiling.

Toni eyed her incredulously, like she were some kind of creature with three heads and a tail. "Look, I'm sorry if I don't remember you. Maybe we knew each other in school or we met at a party or something and I was drunk, but...I don't have anything for you. I can maybe help you get in touch with someone from Riverdale, but-"

"Betty! Riverdale!" the pale girl's smile grew even more as her eyes widened happily.

"Wait, you know Betty?" her brows knit together at the mention of her friend from back home, "How do you know Betty?"

"Betty. Riverdale," she repeated, reaching out to touch her hair again, giggling when Toni didn't pull away this time. "Good luck!"

What the hell was going on? Who was this mysterious girl who had just been dropped in her lap all of a sudden? So far all she knew about this girl was that she came from Riverdale and had absolutely no sense of personal space.

With a sigh, Toni pulled out her phone, hastily pulling up her messages.

**Toni:** Betts, do you know anything about this redheaded chick that showed up at my work this afternoon?

She waited for an answer, just letting the stranger toy with her hair quietly.

"Shit it's lunch rush back at Pop's," she muttered to herself, realizing the time. Betty wouldn't be able to check her texts for at least another hour.

"Pop's!"

"What?"

"Pop's! Cherries!" the girl's eyes went wide again with excitement.

Toni just stared at her with a quirked eyebrow, unsure of what to make of this whole situation. "What's your name?"

The happy brown eyes turned a bit dark as the girl's fingers stilled in her hair and retracted back to her sides, her finger coming up to her lips in a 'shh'ing motion.

"What, you don't have a name?" she chuckled, feeling a little bad when the girl pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, glancing around nervously. "What am I supposed to call you, then?" This was just weird. What kind of person didn't have a name?

The stranger just stayed quiet, twiddling her fingers apprehensively as she glanced around.

"Okay, well...I just have a little more work to do and then I guess I can take you back to my apartment to rest or something," Toni sighed and sat in her desk chair, unsure of what else to do. She didn't wanna leave the poor girl on her own. She didn't even have shoes on. "Can you, um...can you go sit while I finish up?"

The redhead smiled again and copied Toni by sitting in a desk chair nearby, turning and swiveling in the spinning seat as if nothing amused her more. She spun around a few times, giggling loudly and holding her hands up like she was on a roller coaster. Toni couldn't help but watch from the corner of her eye, admittedly amused by her antics.

"I can't really focus with you laughing over there," she chuckled, watching as the redhead stopped spinning and stifled her giggles as she held her head from dizziness. "How about some music?" she opened a new tab on her computer, pulling up the website for her favorite radio station to listen live. Thankfully she had the office to herself. Her colleagues were pretty strict when it came to playing music at the desks.

_"Good afternoon, Manhattan, my name is Cheryl and you're listening to 97.5 Hits FM. Bringing you classics from the 70's, 80's, and 90's all day long..."_

Toni listened to the DJ's voice. She loved Cheryl, not only did she have a soothing voice, but she was also pretty funny. She typed out a bit more of the story, keeping an eye on the redhead every now and then.

"My name is Cheryl," she heard over the guitar intro to "Closing Time".

"What?" she turned to the source of the voice, seeing the redhead perched in the chair with her knees to her chest and her bare feet resting on the edge of the cushioned seat.

"My name is Cheryl," she repeated.

"Oh suddenly your name is Cheryl after the radio DJ said her name is Cheryl?"

"My name is Cheryl," she smiled at her.

"I-" Toni started but sighed, not feeling up for fighting her on it, "Okay, your name is Cheryl."

"Cheryl. Toni. Cheryl," the redhead hummed quietly, running her fingers up and down her pale legs distractedly. Toni just watched her from her desk, confused as ever. What was she supposed to do with this girl?

**xxx**

"Good afternoon, Manhattan, my name is Cheryl!"

Toni groaned as the redhead stopped for what felt like the hundredth time to greet a random stranger on the way back to her apartment. Cheryl had told her apparent new name to at least twenty people from the sidewalk in front of her office, on the subway, and now on the sidewalk in front of her apartment.

"Sorry about her," Toni smiled apologetically at the random person Cheryl had decided to stop and smile at, "Cheryl, come on." She grabbed onto Cheryl's hand and pulled her into the apartment building.

"Good luck!" the redhead waves at the stranger, her legs nearly giving out from under her when Toni tugged her through the door. Looking around, she smiled, remembering being in this building just a few hours ago. She remembered the nice old lady with the fluffy white dog named Jasper. She remembered the magical light up buttons that took her to the floor Toni lived on. Maybe she could press one this time...

"Come on, Cheryl," Toni beckoned her towards the elevator, pressing the button before the doors opened.

"Number twenty," the pale girl smiled, her eyes widening at the sight of the buttons again, watching Toni press the button with the number five on it.

"Uh...yeah, that's my apartment number. Who told you that?" Toni furrowed her brows, remembered that apparently Cheryl knew where she lived.

"Betty. Jasper," she giggled in response as she pressed the rest of the buttons, seeing them all light up like the stars in the sky.

The pinkette was too confused to even try to stop her, watching her every move with curiosity. Who the hell was this girl and why was she like this? "Jasper as in...as in Mrs. Henderson's poodle, Jasper?"

"Elaine. Jasper."

"Right, Elaine Henderson," Toni glanced around the elevator, watching as the doors opened and closed at each floor since Cheryl had pushed every button. She ran a hand through her hair and lead Cheryl out of the elevator when they reached the fifth floor, watching as she ran ahead, clearly sure of which door was the right one.

Following slowly behind, Toni got her keys from her bag, rounding the corner to see Cheryl knocking on her apartment door. "Cheryl, there's nobody home. Veronica's out shopping." She had gotten a not-so-helpful late text from the raven-haired girl as she was leaving the office with Cheryl in tow, warning her that some random redhead was probably on her way to her work. But she'd decided to ignore it, opting for asking her where she was instead. And thankfully the older girl was out for the afternoon. That bought her some time to figure things out.

"Veronica," the redhead repeated, looking at her curiously.

"Veronica. She's my roommate. She's the one with the black hair."

"Veronica," Cheryl nodded in understanding, "Out shopping."

Toni just sighed a quiet "yeah" and unlocked the door, letting Cheryl inside before closing and locking the door behind her. Thankfully the stranger just stood in the middle of the spacious living room, looking around in awe. "So, um...this is my apartment. I can give you a tour, I guess."

"Tour?" Cheryl came skipping up to her.

"Yeah, a tour. Like, I can show you around," she explained, unable to stop the smile from spreading on her face as Cheryl grabbed her hand and nodded excitedly. "Okay, well, this is the living room. We've got Netflix and stuff if you wanna watch TV, but we have cable too," she gestured to around the room before leading Cheryl by the hand to the kitchen. "Kitchen's in here. If you get hungry, help yourself to anything. It's mostly takeout containers since Veronica and I both hate cooking."

She showed her the small dining room with a round glass top table, followed by the bathroom.

"You might wanna take a shower or something later," she glanced down at her feet, forgetting that they had been bare and uncovered this whole time. They didn't look too dirty, but she could only imagine what the bottoms of them looked like after walking around the city. She was just glad she hadn't stepped in any glass. "We have a bathtub too, if you prefer baths."

Cheryl just smiled, holding tightly to Toni's hand and resting her head on her shoulder, much to the pinkette's discomfort. But she wasn't doing any harm.

"That's Veronica's room. Don't go in there without her permission. And this," she opened the white door, revealing the minimalistic decor behind it, "is my room."

Cheryl's eyes widened even more, if possible, as she let go of her hand to go walk around the room.

"Toni," she uttered almost dreamily, looking at all the photographs that Toni had on the walls and shelves. Glancing at them in awe, she looked at each and every one, gasping when she found one of a person that she recognized. "Betty!"

"Yeah, that's Betty. How do you know her again...?" she attempted to get some answers out of her.

"Pop's," the redhead smiled before yawning, "Riverdale."

Toni just rolled her eyes, unsurprised at her answer. "Of course," she sighed, shaking her head. "Well, if you're tired, you're welcome to rest on the couch or something. I have some things to take care of before I go out tonight. Which means we gotta find a place for you to go soon."

"Go?"

"Yeah, you can't exactly stay here, I mean...I can't leave you here by yourself." Cheryl just looked at her curiously, as if she weren't making a bit of sense. But before Toni could explain, her phone started to buzz in her pocket. "Shit, hang on."

"Hey, V," she breathed into the phone, turning her back to the redhead as she went to look out the window at the passing cars below, pressing her face against the glass.

_"T, who the hell was that random girl who showed up at our door with no shoes on? Did she find you? She literally came into the apartment and walked right back out after I told her where you worked,"_ Veronica's voice was urgent in her ear.

"Yeah, she's just, um...she's an old friend from high school. She's gonna hang out here for a little bit," Toni sighed and turned her back to the girl at the window.

_"You're still coming with me to the benefit tonight, though, right? I already told Reggie he didn't have to come."_

"Yeah. I just...gotta get my friend situated. Her showing up was kind of a surprise."

_"Well, figure something out. I'll be home around five so we can get ready and the car is gonna pick us up at seven."_

"Okay. I should have something figured out by then. I might just pay for a cab to take her back to Riverdale or something."

_"Good idea. Later, T."_

Toni ended the call with the press of a button and turned to face Cheryl, about to tell her how the rest of the day was going to go. But the redhead was no longer standing by the window. Instead, she was face down on her bed, fast asleep. Her hair was disheveled and her mouth was slacked open and judging by the small wet spot on the white sheets, she was already drooling as if she had been asleep for hours.

"Great," she whispered, putting her phone back in her pocket. With a sigh, she grabbed a random blanket from her closet and draped it over the sleeping girl, hoping that it would prevent her from going under the covers if she got cold. She didn't exactly want those feet on her sheets. Once Cheryl was situated, Toni grabbed her laptop and went out to the living room, taking one last glance at her before closing the door behind her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> posting just a lil early cause i’m gonna be working allll day tomorrow. enjoy!

Frustrated, Toni put her phone face down. She knew Betty was only trying to help, but she wasn't being much of a help at all. She'd been texting back and forth with the blonde since she'd settled on the couch with her laptop, digging desperately for answers. She'd scoured articles, police reports from surrounding towns, anything that gave any kind of hint about who Cheryl was or where she came from. But each search brought her right back to square one. Betty could only provide so much information, other than the fact that the clothes Cheryl was wearing were the exact same ones that Jughead was missing from his laundry. And after harassing _him_ for answers, he proved to be no help either.

Maybe she was crazy, taking in a stranger who seemed to not even know her left foot from her right. Especially here in the city where you can't be too careful with who you trust. But Cheryl seemed harmless. The kind of harmless who wouldn't hurt a fly. And Toni couldn't help but feel responsible for her. The redhead was dropped into her lap like an orphaned puppy, she couldn't just abandon her.

Speaking of whom, she hadn't heard a peep from her for a while. It was nearing four o'clock. Unless she snuck out the window and climbed down the fire escape, she'd been asleep for nearly three hours. Veronica was going to be home soon and Toni had no idea what to do about Cheryl. She would let her stay with them, but Toni couldn't take her to work in the morning and she couldn't exactly leave her with Veronica.

With a sigh of defeat, she decided to decide on a plan for the morning when the time came. Instead, she needed to focus on now, starting with waking Cheryl up. She closed her laptop and padded back to her room, pressing her ear to the door before opening it slowly, peeking inside. Cheryl was still fast asleep, lying peacefully, albeit sloppily on her back. The blanket looked like it had been kicked around a bit while she slept. Chuckling quietly, Toni stepped forward to wake her. But a gleam of gold shined in her eyes as it caught the light from outside.

After getting a closer look, she saw a small locket hanging from a thin gold chain around Cheryl's neck. She hadn't been wearing that before. Not that she had seen. Furrowing her brow, she crouched down beside the bed to get a closer look at it, hoping that it would give her some answers. It looked so...familiar. For some reason, just looking at it brought a warm feeling to her chest. But she brushed the feeling aside, her fingers reaching for it in curiosity.

"Toni."

The pink haired girl let out a yelp as she retracted her hand and stumbled back, looking up at the brown eyes that were now staring back at her.

"Hey, Cheryl. You scared the shit out of me, how long have you been awake?"

The redhead just sat up with a yawn and a stretch, humming contently, "Hey, Toni."

"Um...how'd you sleep?" she asked, wiping her palms on her jeans as Cheryl just looked at her with a blank expression, "Did you sleep well?"

"Well," she nodded back, stretching again.

Toni glanced around the room awkwardly, unsure of what to do or say. And Cheryl staring at her wasn't making things any easier. "So, um...that...that locket around your neck...where'd you find that?"

Cheryl reached up to clutch the locket in her fist, casting her eyes down to the grey and white rug under Toni's feet.

"Cheryl?"

The younger girl opened her mouth to say something when she was interrupted by the sound of the front door opening and closing, causing her eyes to go wide as she smiled and jumped off the bed, running into the hallway before Toni could even react.

"Cheryl!"

"Good afternoon, Manhattan, my name is Cheryl!" she found the redhead standing in front of a very confused Veronica after she chased her down the hall.

"Uhh...Toni?" the Latina looked at her over Cheryl's shoulder.

"Veronica, this is Cheryl. Cheryl, Veronica," Toni sighed, introducing the two as she stepped over.

"Veronica Lodge, of the Manhattan Lodges," Veronica placed her shopping bags down to politely extend a hand to Cheryl. But the redhead just stared at the hand in front of her before copying the gesture, missing the mark entirely as her hand extended past Veronica's. But she remained smiling as the older girl glanced at Toni incredulously.

"She's a little...confused right now," Toni explained as best she could, unable to explain to Veronica what was really going on. Cheryl, apparently bored of the two, walked off into the living room, looking curiously at the houseplants by the window.

"Is she coming down from a bad trip or something?" Veronica whispered, watching the redhead from the corner of her eye.

"I don't know. I can't get a hold of anyone from back home, so she's probably gonna have to stay the night. I'll try to have her out by morning," the shorter girl whispered back, biting her lip as she watched Cheryl move around the room.

"How did she even get here?"

"One of my friends dropped her off."

Veronica crossed her arms over her chest as they stood back and watched Cheryl amusedly glance out the doors that lead to the balcony.

"Anyways," Veronica straightened up with a smile, changing the subject, "What are you wearing to the benefit tonight? I wanna make sure we don't clash, but we also don't want to match too much."

Toni's face fell a little as she looked back and forth between her roommate and the barefoot girl by the window. "I don't know if I should go, V. I don't wanna leave her on her own. Not at night for that long..."

"You're kidding me, Toni, you promised you'd go with me! I already told Reggie he could hang out with his friends tonight!"

"I know, I'm sorry but...then she came along and I-"

"Toni?"

Her eyes darted to Cheryl, who was fiddling with the handle to the balcony door, looking back at her for help and knocking gently on the glass. "Hang on," she sighed to Veronica before crossing the room, opening the door for the redhead, "Just don't go too close to the edge, okay?"

Cheryl smiled and reached for her hand, going to tug her outside with her. And Toni would be lying if she said she didn't find it pretty cute. But she shook it away quickly. She couldn't be thinking that about a strange girl she'd never met. Especially one who showed up at her work with no shoes on.

"I'll be right out, just gimme a minute to talk to Veronica," she told her, unable to hide her smile when Cheryl giggled and stepped carefully out onto the balcony.

"Seriously, Toni? You're gonna bail on me for the stalker?"

"She's not a stalker, Veronica, she just...needs help. I'm sure Josie would love to go with you, why don't you ask her?"

Veronica stood pouting for a moment and tapped her foot against the hardwood. "I suppose Josie won't be a total wet blanket and try to leave after only an hour of mingling," she rolled her eyes.

"She'll be way more fun than me, promise. I have to work tomorrow anyways."

"Ugh. Whatever. You owe me," Veronica flipped her hair over her shoulder and retreated to her room with her bags in tow, "And don't let her in my room."

"I won't!" Toni called after her, taking a cleansing breath before stepping out onto the balcony where Cheryl was trying to peak over the edge without getting to close to the rail like she told her to. "Hey."

"Hey, Toni," the redhead smiled at her, reaching out for her hand again.

If Toni didn't find her so damn endearing, she would have pulled her hand away. But there was just something about Cheryl that drew her in and made her smile. "You and I are gonna stay in tonight. We'll probably just reheat some leftover takeout and watch TV if that's okay with you."

Cheryl just nodded, giving her a toothy smile before leaning in to hug her tightly around the neck. It came as a surprise to Toni, but she hugged her back, chuckling into her shoulder. "What's the hug for?"

"Looking for Toni," Cheryl sighed, tucking her face into her neck.

"Well, you found Toni," she smiled, rubbing her back. Toni wasn't a very affectionate person. She didn't really like to be touched. Maybe it was because she hadn't had a proper hug in so long, or maybe it was because she was starting to appreciate Cheryl more, but she couldn't help but sigh contently into the embrace as the redhead nodded against her neck.

"Found Toni."

**xxx**

"I don't have any more, Cheryl," Toni giggled, looking sympathetically at the girl beside her on the couch. When she was showing her what they had to eat in the fridge, Cheryl had immediately grabbed the half-eaten jar of maraschino cherries from the shelf on the door, refusing anything else. And Toni had watched, laughing as Cheryl stuck one on each of her fingertips and bit them off as she watched the nature documentary she had chosen from Netflix. And now that she'd eaten them all, she was pouting at Toni, gesturing to the empty jar sadly.

"You can have something else if you want, but that's all the cherries we had," she took the jar from her and set it on the coffee table. Cheryl just huffed and sat back against the couch, refusing to leave the spot right beside Toni. But her mood lightened up the second her eyes were back on the screen. She was back to smiling and giggling at the TV, watching different varieties of marine life swim around in the water. It was pretty boring to Toni, since it was one of those documentaries that focused mainly on imagery rather than informative narrations. But the music was relaxing.

"I'm guessing you like the ocean?" she laughed as the redhead's eyes twinkled with excitement. Cheryl nodded her head, getting up from the couch to go up to the TV, touching the screen carefully as if it pet and poke at the fish on screen.

Toni watched her, the cogs running in her brain as she contemplated the oddity that was Cheryl. She'd given up on trying to ask her about where she came from or why she was here. The only answers she got were "Riverdale" and "Looking for Toni". But she was learning other things about the redhead. She loved cherries more than Toni thought humanly possible. She was inquisitive, but in a non-verbal way. When she saw something unfamiliar, she stared at it or touched it to try to figure it out, rather than asking. But Toni was starting to realize that maybe she didn't know the words. She seemed to only speak certain words after they'd been said to her.

The redhead came bouncing back to the couch, placing herself right at Toni's side once again as she watched the show. She was completely enthralled by the TV, oblivious to the fact that Toni's eyes were on her. But eventually, Toni's eyes returned to the screen, watching a school of fish scatter as a shark swim through their group.

"Doesn't this scare you?" she asked quietly as Cheryl shook her head, "All the girls I knew in Riverdale were terrified of sharks."

"No," Cheryl shook her head again, leaning against her side as she watched with wide eyes.

"I think you're the only person I've ever met who likes the ocean as much as I do...or did, I guess," Toni snorted, putting her plate down on the coffee table next to the empty jar.

"Did?" the redhead turned her head to look at her, dark brown eyes gazing over her features.

"Yeah, I don't really like it as much anymore..." Toni trailed off, looking up to see Cheryl's dark brown eyes staring right into hers, "I don't really wanna get into it. It's kinda personal."

She wasn't sure if Cheryl understood what she said, but she must have understood what she meant, since she turned her head back to the TV without a word. The sun had gone down and they had been watching this documentary series for almost two hours. It wasn't late, but considering the journey Cheryl had taken over the past 24 hours, maybe it was better to get her to sleep early.

"I know you took a nap earlier, but we should probably start turning in for the night," she sighed, turning the TV off much to Cheryl's displeasure.

"Turning in?"

"Yeah, getting ready to go to bed. To sleep," she started to clean up the trash and dishes from the coffee table, "I can start a shower for you or draw you a bath if you want. I can just leave some of my sleep clothes out for you." Cheryl just nodded excitedly and followed her to the bathroom, glancing around the tiled room.

"Um, bath or shower?" Toni asked, looking over at the confused redhead. Apparently she had no idea what she was talking about. "So, a bath, you sit in the water, and a shower, the water comes down on you like rain," she tried to explain. Maybe Cheryl had brain damage or something. There was no way she had never had a bath or a shower before. But after looking between the two, She decided on a bath, patting the edge of the standalone bathtub gently.

"Okay," Toni nodded at her decision, turning on the faucet until the water reached a decent temperature and plugged the drain. "Okay, so we have bath bombs if you wanna use one. They're all in here," she showed her the little basket of bath bombs they kept in one of the cabinets, "Here's two towels and a wash cloth. I'm just gonna go grab you some clothes to sleep in."

She glanced over her shoulder as she left the room, catching a glimpse of Cheryl poking her finger into the rising water in the bathtub. She still wasn't sure what she was going to do with her. Especially tomorrow when she had to go to work, but she had a little more time to think of something. She just wanted to get Cheryl to sleep first.

"Here's a t-shirt and some shorts," she came back into the bathroom with a change of clothes for Cheryl, turning off the water when she saw it had reached a reasonable level. "Soap is right there in the corner. I'll be in the living room just down the hall, so just holler if you need me, all right?"

Cheryl nodded, her face not as soft and curious as it had been before. She looked nervous and a little harsh as her face scrunched up as if she was mad or frustrated.

"Cheryl?" she cocked her head curiously, but she was quickly pushed out of the bathroom with the door slammed in her face.

"...Okay."

She stood still, facing the door for a few moments, trying to wrap her mind around what had just happened. She wasn't sure what had triggered the sudden mood swing in Cheryl. It wasn't like Toni was trying to watch her undress. Though, with all the babying of her that she'd done today, maybe that's what Cheryl thought was going to happen. And it made sense that she wouldn't be comfortable with it. But after everything she'd tried to learn about Cheryl, she couldn't help but wonder if the girl was running away from something, or was in any kind of danger. But then how did she know who she was?

It didn't make sense how Cheryl didn't know her own name. Or how she could only repeat words like a parrot, as if she didn't know they even existed before someone else said them. Why was she wearing Jughead's clothes and how did she end up wandering the city with no shoes on? But Jughead swore on the phone that he had never seen her in his life.

Sighing, Toni decided to give up searching for answers tonight. She could try to figure out more in the morning. From the looks of it, she would either have to bring Cheryl with her to work or leave her home alone. And she wasn't fond of either option. But for now, she got a pillow and a spare blanket from her bedroom and placed them on the couch for Cheryl, hoping that the girl wouldn't mind sleeping on the couch for the night. Toni would, but the last thing she needed on top of everything was a sore back and a poor night's sleep.

She was heading down the hall to her bedroom to change into her pajamas when she heard something unusual. Singing. But it wasn't any type of singing she was used to hearing. It was just a wordless chorus of vowels, strung out in what Toni had to admit was the most beautiful melody she'd ever heard. So much so that she found herself gravitating towards the bathroom door in a trance, unable to stop herself. With her ear pressed to the door, Toni sighed in content, feeling peace wash over her at the sound of Cheryl singing.

She didn't realize how long she had been standing at the door, or that the singing had stopped. But she was quickly brought back to reality when there was a knock from behind the door before it opened quickly. A bit too quickly, as she almost fell into the bathroom.

"Uh...hey. Sorry."

"Hey, Toni," Cheryl smiled at her as if she hadn't seemed mad just twenty minutes earlier. Her long hair was a bit damp, but aside from that, she was dry and dressed in the clothes Toni had provided her.

"Everything go okay?"

"Okay," the redhead smiled, hugging her tightly before brushing past her and down the hall.

Toni turned, watching her walk away in complete confusion before turning to the bathroom, which she was just now noticing had looked like it had been hit by a tidal wave. There was water splashed everywhere, on the walls, the sink, the floor. With a bit of a groan, Toni unplugged the still-full bathtub and got out as many towels as she could to clean up the mess. Though, she could only do so much. It was only water, it would dry.

Picking up Jughead's shirt and boxers, she cringed and tossed them into her laundry basket, noting that she would have to do laundry soon before going to her bedroom. A quiet groan of frustration came from her lips when she saw Cheryl comfortably sprawled out on the comforter yet again, fast asleep. Even if Toni wanted to share the bed, there was nowhere for her to lay, since Cheryl was spread out like a starfish.

Defeated, she draped the blanket over her like she had this afternoon and grabbed her laptop and phone charger, prepared to just suck it up sleep on the couch.

"Goodnight, Cheryl," she whispered, rolling her eyes as she turned off the light and closed the door quietly behind her.

She could only imagine what tomorrow would bring.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello again and happy sunday!

Despite being such a workaholic, Toni had never been happier to go home early for the day. The entire day, she had been on edge, worrying about Cheryl and the fact that she was alone in her apartment the whole time. She'd only known the girl for 24 hours, so she couldn't exactly say she trusted her. Veronica would kill her if she found out that she'd let the strange girl stay in their apartment alone. For all Veronica knew, Cheryl was just some sneaky crack head playing dumb to get sympathy before she stole people's expensive possessions. Maybe Toni was just naive, being so new to the city, but she didn't think Cheryl would ever intentionally steal or hurt anyone. And thankfully, Veronica wouldn't be home until tonight, so she didn't even need to know that Cheryl had been left alone.

This morning, the pink-haired girl had showed Cheryl how to use the TV, locked all the doors and windows, and quickly went down to the corner store to get her two jars of maraschino cherries, since she refused to eat any breakfast. She'd rather her eat nothing but cherries than eat nothing at all. And after a hug and an exchange of goodbyes (or a "good luck!" from Cheryl), Toni had left for work for the day.

But now she was headed back, anxiously tapping her foot against the floor of the subway train. With her portfolio under her arm, she made her way back up to the sidewalk from the underground station, walking the few blocks to her apartment building. The building wasn't on fire, so that was a good sign to say the least.

Unlocking the front door, she called out to Cheryl as she set her things down, looking around. The living room was a bit of a mess. Two empty jars of cherries were sitting on the coffee table, the TV was on (and loud), and there were a few blankets and pillows scattered around. But there was no sign of the redhead.

"Cheryl?" she called out on her way down the hall to her bedroom, starting to worry a little bit. But she heard the familiar voice coming from her bedroom. The door was open, showing Toni that it wasn't as much of a mess as she suspected. But she didn't see Cheryl until she rounded the corner, laughing out loud at the sight of her clothes strewn about the floor in front of her closet and Cheryl wearing a few of them.

"Toni! You are home! Could I _be_ more excited?" Cheryl's eyes and smile widened as she crossed the small space to hug the older girl tightly. "How was work?"

Toni's jaw slacked in surprise after Cheryl pulled back from the hug, staring at her like she'd just grown an extra arm on each side of her body. "Y-you can talk. I mean...you...you know more words...?" she trailed off, confused. Then again, the girl had spent the whole day watching TV. She probably learned a little more than she needed to.

"I saw a show on the box called Friends. The box called it a marathon. They talked _a lot_. There was much laughter," Cheryl grinned from ear to ear.

"I see. And you raided my closet," Toni chuckled, still a little stunned that she could probably hold a somewhat normal conversation with her now.

"Toni, you have many clothes. Some are very pretty, some are not very pretty, but are very soft and comfortable," Cheryl glanced up at the clothes that she hadn't yet taken off the hangers, "The ones that I have put on are my favorites."

Toni eyed her outfit that appeared to be a strange and tacky combination of one of her flannels, a Riverdale High t-shirt, and a pair of pastel gym shorts on top of a pair of sparkly leggings she wore for one Halloween. "Glad you like them," she snorted a bit of a laugh. Her closet was a mess now, but the blissful smile on Cheryl's face made it impossible for her to even harbor an ounce of anger. She didn't know how she could possibly be so enthralled by this woman who dropped into her life unexpectedly, made a mess of her apartment, acted like a clueless child and followed her around like a puppy with no sense of personal space or boundaries. But here she was, looking her up and down with admiration in her eyes and a fluttering heart in her chest.

"Do you wanna maybe go for a walk in the park?" she asked suddenly, figuring that Cheryl could use the fresh air and Toni could try to talk to her more. She was still determined to figure out who she was and where she came from. And now she had the ability to tell her more than just "Betty", "Pop's", and "Riverdale".

"A walk?" she gasped ecstatically. If she were a dog, her tail would be wagging and she would be running around in circles.

"Yeah, we can go to Central Park for a little bit. Maybe talk some more...?"

"Central Park to walk. And then Central Perk for coffee?"

"Well Central Perk isn't a real place. It's just on Friends," Toni chuckled, grabbing a pair of jeans and a tank top from the floor, "Besides, I think you have enough energy. I don't even wanna know what you would be like with coffee in your system."

Cheryl looked at her confusedly before turning back to the clothes that still hung in the closet.

"Do you wanna maybe change into something different?" Toni asked delicately, trying not to hurt her feelings. The outfit she was wearing wasn't exactly...fashionable.

"I like these clothes," Cheryl smiled, looking down at her mismatched outfit before smiling at Toni.

The pinkette just laughed and shook her head, "Okay, but don't blame me when you get weird looks. I'm gonna go change. Can you go turn off the TV?"

Nodding excitedly, Cheryl ran out to the living room while Toni changed into more comfortable clothes. She didn't know what size shoes Cheryl wore, but she hoped that a pair of her flip flops would suffice until they could get her a pair of her own shoes. Maybe she could get her some of her own clothes while they were at it...

Grabbing the flip flops after putting on her own white Nikes, Toni went out to the living room, only to find Cheryl sitting on the couch, clapping along to the theme song of another episode of Friends. "Come on, Cher, let's go walk around. Put these on," she turned the TV off, much to the redhead's momentary disappointment. But her pout was soon replaced by an excited grin once again as Toni helped her into the flip flops.

"Cher?"

"What?"

"You called me 'Cher'. My name is Cheryl."

"Oh, I didn't notice," Toni blushed, "It's just a nickname. Like, my name is Antoinette, but people call me Toni cause it's shorter and easier to say."

Cheryl stared up at her with an unapologetic smile before standing up, wobbling a little in the new shoes. They seemed to fit her okay, but she had a bit of a hard time walking in them at first.

"Have you never worn flip flops before?"

Cheryl just shook her head and slowly followed Toni out of the apartment, clinging tightly to her hand. Strange, considering she came from Riverdale. Everyone wore flip flops in the little beach town.

Keeping a protective grip on Cheryl's hand, Toni lead her to the subway station, the redhead wide-eyed and grinning the whole way. Cheryl had ridden the subway with her yesterday when they were going back to the apartment from Toni's office, and she had nearly fallen off the platform by leaning curiously over the edge. Not too long after that, she had wandered out into the street to say hello to a stranger on the other side of the road. So now, Toni held her hand. But neither of them really seemed to mind.

"The park is just three stops from here," Toni showed her the map while they waited for the train. Now that she wasn't in any kind of hurry and Cheryl wasn't a total stranger, she took the time to actually explain things to her. Just so she wasn't left in the dark and knew what to expect. "The train is gonna pick us up here, and we're gonna ride this green line to up here," she traced the green line on the map with her free hand, smiling when Cheryl did the same with hers before resting her head on Toni's shoulder.

"The train will take us to the park?"

"Kind of. It's gonna take us as close to the park as it can, and then we're just gonna walk the rest of the way," she explained, feeling the girl nod against her shoulder.

"It should be here any minute," Toni sighed, surprisingly content. She squeezed Cheryl's hand affectionately, running her thumb over hers delicately. As much as she wanted to fight it, she couldn't really help it. She was growing attached. Cheryl wasn't making it very easy on her, considering she seemed to be affectionate by nature. Even Toni couldn't resist.

When the train arrived, Toni ushered Cheryl into one of the cars, having her sit down instead of holding onto one of the handrails. The redhead was wobbly enough on her feet, she didn't need to be standing on a moving train. Sat beside her, Toni checked her texts while Cheryl conversed with an elderly woman in the seat next to her, still holding her hand.

"Did you know that if you or a loved one have been diagnosed with Mesothelioma, you may be entitled to financial compensation?" the redhead grinned, leaning in closer to the woman, making Toni chuckle quietly beside her.

"I didn't know that. Good to know," the woman smiled, seemingly playing along.

"This is my Toni," Cheryl pointed beside her, grinning wider than before as the train reached the first stop, "We are holding hands, which means we are a couple."

"Wait, what? No-" Toni looked up from her phone and shook her head at the elderly woman getting up from her seat.

"Well, it was lovely to meet you, but this is my stop. You're a beautiful couple," she smiled and waved at them before leaving the train.

"Good luck!" Cheryl called out after her with a wave and a smile before turning to see

"Cheryl, why did you tell her that?"

"Tell her what?"

"That we're..." she glanced down between them at their joined hands, untangling her tanned fingers from her pale ones, "...y'know, a couple."

"We have been holding hands. Couples hold hands," Cheryl explained as the train started to move again.

"I'm holding your hand so you don't run off and get hurt," Toni muttered quietly, feeling a little bad about correcting her, "We're not a couple."

"Oh," Cheryl grabbed her hand again anyways and leaned back in her seat, swinging her legs back and forth distractedly, seemingly unbothered by what Toni had said. And as much as Toni wanted to explain, she figured it would be better to just leave it.

Once they reached their stop, the pinkette helped Cheryl up and lead her off the train and up out of the station, heading for the nearest park entrance.

"So...now that you can talk a little more. Any chance you can tell me how you found me?"

"Ver-"

"I know Veronica told you where I work, but like...how did you end up at my apartment? How did you know where I live?" Toni interrupted as they walked through the park entrance.

"Betty told me. I was looking for you."

"But why me?"

Cheryl looked ahead at the seemingly endless greenery, trees, bushes, and grass. But a splash of red caught her eye, distracting her from the question at hand as she tugged Toni forward towards a balloon vendor a few yards down the path.

"You want a balloon?" the cheery man asked, earning an eager nod from the redhead, "What color?"

She pointed to a bright red one, pulling her lip between her teeth as she watched him untangle a red balloon from the bundle.

"Four-fifty," he said, holding onto the balloon until he was paid.

Toni just snorted and shook her head as she got out her wallet. She couldn't believe she was shelling out money for a balloon, of all things. But it made Cheryl happy, and she had to admit, she liked seeing her smile.

"Keep the change," she smiled, handing the vendor a five dollar bill before taking Cheryl farther down the path.

"Good luck!" Cheryl called back to him with a smile, holding the string of her red balloon tightly in the hand that wasn't entwined with Toni's.

"How come you picked the red one?" Toni smiled over at her as they kept walking.

Cheryl giggled and looked up at her balloon, "It is the color of cherries. Next time I will get the one that is the color of your hair."

The pink haired girl just blushed a bit, ducking her head as they walked. For someone who didn't know her lefts from her rights, Cheryl was certainly a good flirt. "We can probably stop and get you more cherries on the way home. I might as well buy out their whole stock," she chuckled, "I can't believe you ate two whole jars since this morning."

"I like cherries," Cheryl mumbled happily.

"Clearly."

The two walked a bit farther, Cheryl getting distracted by a few things like ducks, squirrels, or actual couples holding hands while they walked through the park. Toni had to explain to her not to touch the wildlife and stop her from walking up to chat with random strangers.

"So, back to what we were talking about before...why were you looking for me?"

Cheryl smiled and stopped walking, letting go of her hand so she could reach into the pocket of the shorts she had on over the glittery leggings, pulling out a folded old photograph and handing it to her happily.

Toni took it from her with a bit of a skeptical smile, unfolding it. But her heart dropped in her chest when she saw what it was. It was an old photo of her parents and herself at maybe two and a half years old, not too long before her mother died. The image of their smiling faces was something she hadn't seen or even tried to think about in years. But it brought tears to her eyes almost immediately. But Toni Topaz didn't cry. Unfortunately for Cheryl, Toni was the type of person who would let her sadness translate into anger.

"Why do you have this? Were you going through all my stuff?" she snapped, folding up the picture and putting it in her purse. Cheryl just stood in stunned silence at her tone, staring at her with the same confused little look on her face that Toni had come to know so well. "You don't do that, Cheryl! You don't just go through people's shit whenever you want! You've known me for a _day_ and you thought it was okay to raid my closet and go through my personal stuff?! And then you just brought it with you today? This is important to me! What if it had gotten lost or ruined?! What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

Cheryl's eyes, normally bright and curious, darkened as they filled with tears. Her bottom lip quivered as her nose and cheeks turned a light shade of pink. And before Toni could even begin to feel bad, she let go of her balloon and ran off down the path.

"Cheryl!" Toni called after her, taking off after her. For someone who had never worn flip flops before and was shaky on her legs, Cheryl was surprisingly fast. Fast enough that Toni managed to lose her at a crossing, unsure of which direction she had run off.

"Have you seen a girl with long red hair? Wearing a purple flannel and glittery leggings?" she pulled a random stranger aside, only to be brushed off with the shake of their head. After asking a few more people, she was starting to lose hope while her panic levels were rising. What if she was lost? Or if she ran out of the park and into traffic? Getting desperate, she was about to call for help, but her attention was caught by the same hypnotizing vocals she had heard the night before. She followed the sound, transfixed as she wandered the paths. If her life were a cartoon, there would be a string of music notes in front of her, telling her which way to go.

She ended up at the large fountain in the middle of the park with a small crowd of people all staring at one thing: the slim redhead sitting on the edge of the fountain, singing solemnly to herself as she gazed longingly into the pool of water.

Toni weaved through the small crowd of people, tempted to tell them to back off and stop staring. But she just ignored them all and approached the redhead carefully, sitting beside her on the edge of the fountain. Cheryl was sat cross-legged with her back to everyone, hunched over as she stared at the coins resting at the bottom of the fountain. And Toni felt guilt bubble up in her chest when she saw a few tears slip down her pale cheeks.

"Hey," the pinkette took a deep breath, watching the people start to scatter once again now that Cheryl's singing had stopped, "Cheryl, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. My pa-...The people in that photo are kind of a touchy subject for me. I don't really like to talk about them. But...you didn't know that. So...I'm sorry for yelling at you."

Cheryl turned her head to face her slowly, sniffling and wiping her nose on the back of her hand as a few more tears fell from her eyes.

"If it means anything...you have a really pretty singing voice. I bet if you put a hat on the ground, people would've started giving you cash," she chuckled a little, attempting to lighten the mood. And by the blush and the small grin that spread on Cheryl's face, it worked. With a slight chuckle, she reached up, wiping the girl's tears from her flushed cheeks.

Cheryl looked at her hands curiously, gripping her wrists as she inspected the tears that were now on the soft pads of her fingers.

"What?"

"Water...from..." Cheryl reached for her eyes, looking at her own damp fingertips confusedly.

"They're tears...you were crying, weren't you?" Cheryl just gave her a blank stare, confusing Toni as well. Had she never cried before? How was that even possible? "You were sad, and probably scared. People cry when they feel like that. I know it's pretty annoying. I hate when it happens to me," she smiled, wiping her cheek one more time.

The redhead leaned over for a hug that Toni returned tightly. "I'm getting the idea that there's a lot of things you haven't done, so I have a feeling I know the answer, but...have you ever had ice cream?"

Cheryl smiled and shook her head, turning around so her body was facing the same direction as Toni's.

"Well, it's kind of like a milkshake at Pop's, but you don't drink it. You wanna try it? Maybe they'll have cherry flavored," she smiled warmly as Cheryl nodded eagerly, squeezing her hand tight as they stood up together. "And hey, you lost your balloon before. I can get you another one if you want."

Cheryl hugged her again, nuzzling her face into her neck as Toni rubbed her back.

"Come on," the older girl smiled and lead her down the nearest path, keeping her close.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy sunday again! stream/buy norman fucking rockwell! mwah!

Toni approached her apartment door, giggling with Cheryl in tow. The redhead was carrying the brown paper grocery bag in her free hand while the other was still tightly in Toni’s. Her first experience in a corner store was...interesting to say the least. Toni ended up buying five jars of maraschino cherries, one of which Cheryl had opened and started eating before they even got to the cashier. And the other four were from Toni bribing her with a jar of cherries for each new food she picked out to try. And they ended up coming back to the apartment with pancake mix, a box of spaghetti noodles, a jar of peanut butter, and a jar of grape jelly. 

“Can you hold this one too? Just be careful,” Toni handed Cheryl the second bag as the redhead stuck her tongue out in concentration, adjusting the bags in her arms. Toni smiled at her after making sure she had them both and fished her keys out of her purse, taking one of the bags back as she unlocked the door.

“Are you kidding me, Toni?” the girls were immediately met with the harsh voice of Veronica, “I thought you were going to find somewhere else for her to go.”

Toni glanced awkwardly at Cheryl, who just looked confusedly at Veronica. “Just give me a minute, V,” she sighed, helping Cheryl set her bag on the table before ushering her over to the living room. After handing the younger girl a jar of cherries and turning on the tv for her, Toni followed Veronica back to her bedroom. “You don’t have to be so rude,” she crossed her arms over her chest when they were hidden behind the door of Veronica’s room.

“Um, you bring a stranger into _my_ apartment, and you have the nerve to call me rude?” the older girl’s perfectly shaped eyebrows raised to her hairline. 

“I pay just as much in rent and utilities as you, Veronica, it’s not just _your_ apartment anymore. And she’s not a stranger. I told you, she’s an old friend from high school,” her arms crossed over her chest defensively as she lied through her teeth. 

“Well, you hung out with a weird crowd in high school,” Veronica rolled her eyes, “Look, if she’s a friend from high school, then...whatever, but...I don’t feel comfortable staying here while she’s here. She gives me the creeps. I mean, she shows up with no shoes on. How do you know she’s not some crackhead looking for money?”

Toni eyed her roommate with pursed lips, unable to explain Cheryl to her, because she didn’t understand her either. But she knew she was harmless. The girl was in the living room eating pickled cherries watching a documentary about the ocean, probably talking to the fish on the TV. 

“She’s not like that,” she muttered, looking down at her feet.

“When’s the last time you talked to her since high school?” Veronica challenged, to which Toni stayed quiet. The Latina scoffed not long into the silence and rolled her eyes again, shaking her head. “You know what? Do what you want. We’ve got renters insurance if she fucks anything up or steals our shit. But don’t come crying to me when she does. I’ll be at Reggie’s, so call me when she’s gone.”

“Wait, what?” Toni picked her head up with furrowed brows, “Ronnie-“

“It’s not you I don’t trust, T. It’s her. I can’t believe you let her stay here last night. How long are you planning on letting this go on?”

Toni watched as her roommate moved around, starting to pack up one of her luxury suitcases. “So, what if she doesn’t leave?” she asked quietly, her arms still folded as she started getting defensive again. Sure, having Cheryl around had been a bit of a nuisance over the past two days, but Toni was starting to appreciate the redhead’s presence. She’d never known anyone like her before. And she needed answers.

“Then you can find your own place. I don’t want her here. And you can think I’m rude if you want, but I’d rather be rude than delusional enough to think that some random girl would just show up at our doorstep with no crazy intentions.”

“So now I’m delusional?” 

“That’s not what I meant, Toni, don’t make this into something it’s not. Bottom line, I don’t feel comfortable with her staying here. And I’m being the bigger person by offering to go somewhere else because I know you have no where else to go. Unless you wanna take her all the way back to Riverdale,” Veronica folded a few garments and placed them into the suitcase that was laid out on her bed.

Toni tightened her arms that were folded across her chest, unsure of what to say. She realized that Veronica was actually doing her a favor by allowing Cheryl to stay, but her pride was too big to actually thank her for it. For now, she just stayed quiet, shuffling her feet against the carpet while her roommate packed a bag. 

“I’d appreciate it if you would at least try to find a place for her by the end of the week,” Veronica stated calmly as she zipped up her suitcase, placing the wheels on the wheels on the floor before looking across the room at the pink haired girl. “And if you think that that’s gonna be a problem, let me know so we can make some kind of arrangement.”

Toni nodded, avoiding Veronica’s eyes as she brushed past her and into the hall, stopping in the bathroom to collect her toiletries. But Toni stayed put, staring down at her feet as she tried to think of what to do or what to say. She knew it wasn’t fair to Veronica for her to have brought in a total stranger. Even more so to lie about who she was. But...she couldn’t just throw Cheryl out. That girl wouldn’t survive in the city alone. God knows what kind of creeps would take advantage of her naivety. 

“I’ll see you later, Toni. Let me know what you decide to do,” Veronica appeared in the doorway to her bedroom again, holding her suitcase handle with a perfectly manicured hand. And with an awkward silence between the two, she turned on her heel and walked away. 

“Good luck, Veronica,” Toni heard Cheryl’s usual chipper and oblivious voice from down the hall, and she couldn’t help but breathe a light laugh to herself, not moving until she heard the click of the front door. 

Finally gaining the ability to move her legs, she shut Veronica’s door behind her as she stepped out into the hall, moving across the hardwood floors until she reached the living room again. There was something comforting about seeing Cheryl sitting on the floor behind the coffee table, eating cherries off the tips of her fingers as she gazed, wide-eyed, up at the tv screen. Her copper hair was a bit of a mess from the day, but she didn’t seem to mind, or even realize. 

“Hey,” the pink haired girl forced herself to perk up and smile as she approached her.

“Hey, Toni,” Cheryl grinned up at her, tearing her attention from the tv so she could scoot over on the floor, making room for her to sit beside her before pointing at the screen, “You used to enjoy the ocean.”

Toni looked over at her as she sat down, smiling a little at the fact that Cheryl remembered what she had said last night about when she liked the ocean as a kid. “Yeah, I did. I used to be obsessed with it as a kid...My whole bedroom was ocean themed. I even had a night light that would project the image of water ripples on my ceiling,” she chuckled a little, her eyes moving up to meet Cheryl’s wide and fascinated ones, “I had this whole thing with mermaids. I wanted to meet one, wanted to be one...I’m convinced that I saw one when I was six...”

She met Cheryl’s eyes again, searching them for signs of judgement. She’d never told anyone aside from Jughead and F.P. after the accident. Jughead didn’t say much, but F.P. acted like she was crazy. And ever since then, she’d never told anyone, not wanting anyone else to think she was crazy too. But she felt an odd sense of trust with Cheryl, like she wouldn’t judge her for anything. “I know now that it was probably some kind of...hallucination or something, but I was so...sure of it back then.”

Cheryl shook her head, the fascination in her eyes quickly changing to worry and determination as she shifted a bit closer. “No hallucination,” she whispered, still shaking her head as she took Toni’s hands in her own.

“You don’t have to believe me, Cheryl, I was just a kid. I’m pretty sure Ariel from The Little Mermaid was my first crush. I just had a wild imagination.”

“Crush?” 

“Yeah. You’ve never had a crush?” Toni chuckled at the confused look on her face, “A crush is when you like someone as more than a friend. You wanna be a couple and date them and spend lots of time with them.”

“You...are my crush?” the redhead cocked her head to the side.

“I...no, you and I are just friends, Cher. We hang out and stuff like this, but just as friends.”

“Friends,” Cheryl smiled, hugging Toni tightly, “Cheryl and Toni.”

“Yeah,” Toni hugged her back, her face getting lost in the long mane of copper hair around her neck, “Have you ever watched The Little Mermaid?” she smiled, pulling back as Cheryl shook her head, “It’s my favorite Disney movie. You wanna watch it? I figure you’ll like it since you like the ocean. And hey, you kinda look like Ariel.”

Cheryl nodded her head excitedly, bouncing on her knees as Toni got up to look through her DVDs.

**xxx**

“Again?” Cheryl giggled as the credits started to roll, watching Toni start to clear away dishes from the spaghetti they made between their first and second time watching The Little Mermaid tonight.

“We already watched it twice in a row,” Toni laughed, putting the dishes in the sink, “Besides, it’s getting kinda late.”

“But it is your favorite,” the pale girl frowned, playing with the end of the long braid Toni had put in her hair.

“Yeah, so I’ve seen it a million times,” she grinned, coming back over to the coffee table to pick up the empty jar of cherries and their glasses, “We’ll watch it again soon. I promise.”

“What is ‘promise’?” 

“A promise is...it’s when you guarantee something. So when I tell you that I promise we’ll watch the movie again, it means it will definitely happen. You get it? But you can’t make promises that you can’t keep.”

“Why?”

“Because a broken promise is a betrayal of trust. I can promise that we can watch the movie again, but I can’t promise that the sun is gonna fall out of the sky tomorrow, y’know?” she looked over at the redhead, only to be met with a blank stare, “Never mind.”

She rinsed off the dishes before lingering in the entryway to the living room, watching Cheryl play with the ends of her braid as she hummed “Part Of Your World” under her breath. “Hey, do you think you can sleep out here on the couch tonight? I would do it, but I didn’t sleep very well last night because of it...”

“Sleep out here,” Cheryl repeated, easily agreeing with a warm smile.

“Thanks. I’ll grab you a pillow and a blanket. You wanna come pick out some pajamas?” she grinned as Cheryl got up to follow her, still dressed in her wildly mismatched outfit from earlier, “You can stay in the T-shirt and shorts if you want. You might just get a little warm in the flannel and leggings, though.” She lead the yawning girl to her bedroom and grabbed a pillow and blanket, giving her some privacy to change while she got the couch set up for her.

Cheryl reappeared after Toni got the couch set up for her, a sleepy smile on her face as she reached up to play with Toni’s pink hair like she normally did.

“Are you gonna be okay on your own again tomorrow while I’m at work?” she asked quietly, watching the girl as she distractedly toyed with the pink strands.

“I will be all right.”

“Okay. I can’t guarantee I’ll be home as early as I was today, but I’ll be back as soon as I can. Even on busy days, I’m usually home by five or six.” Cheryl only kept playing with her hair instead of responding, smiling and blissfully unaware of anything else. “Well, I’m gonna head to bed,” Toni sighed, “You should get some sleep too, but if you watch any TV, just try to keep the volume low, okay?”

Cheryl nodded, bringing her hands down from her hair, “Volume low.”

With a warm grin and a tight hug, Toni told her goodnight, waiting for her to settle onto the couch before disappearing down the hall to her bedroom. She felt a little bad about kicking Cheryl to the couch, but the redhead didn’t seem to mind. 

Brushing the guilt aside, Toni crawled into bed, sighing at the warmth and comfort of the queen sized mattress. She wasn’t exactly a germaphobe, but she was glad that Cheryl had slept over the covers. Regardless of how sweet she was, she was still a stranger. But Toni was far too tired to care as she laid her head down, quickly drifting off into a deep sleep.

**xxx**

As a flash of lightning filled her room, Toni jolted upright, roused from her fitful sleep by the crashing thunder outside. The rain was hitting the windows so hard, she couldn’t even hear the pounding of her own heartbeat in her ears.

With shaking hands, she tried to pull the comforter over her head in a juvenile attempt to hide from the storm. She never liked them. And her fear of them had only gotten worse after the day that she lost her father at sea. Every time a thunderstorm rolled in, she was haunted by painful memories of that day, and this time was no exception. 

According to her phone, it was nearing 3AM, which only flustered the pink haired girl more. If tonight was anything like any other stormy night, she wouldn’t get back to sleep until it was over. If she wanted a shitty night’s sleep, she would have just slept on the couch again and let Cheryl take the bed.

_Cheryl._

Maybe the redhead wouldn’t mind coming to sleep next to her and keep her company. Aside from the terrifying memories, the worst part of storms was being alone, too afraid to let anyone know that she was scared. But it seemed like anything Toni did, Cheryl just smiled and looked at her like she hung the stars in the sky. 

She shook away the thought of that look that Cheryl would always give her and crawled out of bed, tip-toeing out of the room as her legs wobbled in fear. The constant flashes of lightning lit her way to the living room where the TV was quietly playing an old shopping network show. There was a half-eaten jar of cherries on the coffee table and Cheryl was sleeping peacefully on the couch, seemingly undisturbed by the commotion of the storm. Toni told herself to leave her alone and let her sleep, but her heart and her head were at war. And for once, she let her heart win.

Kneeling down beside the sleeping girl, Toni gently shook her arm, trying to wake her. “Cheryl,” she said quietly, trying to be heard over the noise of the thunder, “Cheryl, wake up.”

The redhead stirred and blinked her eyes open, rubbing them as she yawned deeply with a stretch. “Hey, Toni,” she gave the pinkette a sleepy smile and leaned up for a hug.

“Hey, sorry to wake you,” she flicked her tongue nervously over her lips, flinching as another crack of thunder boomed around them, shaking the floors of the apartment, “Um...do you mind...coming to lay with me for a little bit? I-I can’t sleep cause of the storm.”

Cheryl glanced curiously out the window at the heavy rain and flashing lightning, understanding etched on her face as she got up from the couch and held Toni’s hand reassuringly. “It will be okay. I promise,” she whispered, hugging her tight before leading her by the hand down the hall. 

Toni watched with confused eyes from behind her, wondering where this nurturing, reassuring side of Cheryl had come from and how she knew that Toni was scared. Maybe she just didn’t have the best poker face. Or it could have been the fact that she was a flinching, trembling mess. Either way, Toni appreciated her understanding. 

Getting under the covers, the older girl chuckled when Cheryl laid on top of them like she had the night before. “You can get under the covers, you know. That’s actually how you’re supposed to sleep in a bed,” she laughed a little, stifling a nervous whimper from the sound of wind howling outside. Thankfully, the innocent, confused look on Cheryl’s face was proving to be a great distraction already. “There, see?” she smiled, helping pull the comforter up to her pale shoulders.

Cheryl just nodded, smiling as she reached for Toni’s hair again, threading the ends through her delicate fingers as she hummed a quiet tune. Toni relaxed into her pillow, actually enjoying the feeling of the redhead’s fingers in her hair. Her eyes were falling closed, quickly being lulled to sleep by Cheryl’s humming.

“It is different than before.”

Her eyes opened again at the sound of the gentle voice. “What?”

“Your hair. It was not pink before. It was brown. And curly.”

“Yeah, I dyed it in high school. It just kinda stuck with me...How did you know that my hair used to be brown and curly?” Toni sat up on an elbow, looking down at the girl resting on the pillow next to hers. But Cheryl remained silent as she focused on her hair. Lightning reflected off the gold chain and pendant around Cheryl’s neck, catching Toni’s eye with the sudden light. The necklace still stirred something in her. Something that she couldn’t place. But every time she saw it, she felt a sense of warmth spread through her body.

“Where did you come from?” she whispered, hearing the thunder begin to fade in the distance.

Cheryl yawned and rubbed her sleepy eyes, pulling her hands away from Toni’s bubblegum locks. “Riverdale,” she mumbled, her eyes falling closed as she fell fast asleep.

“Of course,” Toni sighed with an amused roll of her eyes, scooting an inch closer to the redhead as she let the warmth of her body and the comfort of her presence send her into a much more peaceful sleep than before.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy sunday as usual!

Stirring the next morning, Toni stretched as she slowly woke up, nearly screaming when her hand bumped into someone beside her. Waking up next to another person wasn’t something that Toni was used to. Even in her wild high school days, she never spent the night or allowed anyone to sleep over. It would just lead to conversations and feelings that she had no interest in. 

Blinking one eye open in the bright sunlight, she was met with a long, messy braid of red hair, slung over the shoulder of the girl who had come to her rescue last night. She wasn’t too proud to admit she was scared. A lot of people were afraid of thunderstorms. But in Toni’s case, she wasn’t willing to share the reason with anyone who didn’t know her back in Riverdale. Everyone in the small town already knew. But she came to New York for a fresh start. A big city where no one knew her name seemed like an unreachable dream until it actually happened.

She slipped her legs out from under the covers with a quiet yawn, not wanting to wake Cheryl up. It was still early, so she figured she could squeeze in a shower before anything else. 

After grabbing a towel and some clothes for the day, Toni tied her pink hair up and padded across the hall to the bathroom, starting up the shower. The hot water felt amazing against her skin, soothing her sore muscles and already easing her stress for the upcoming day. On top of Veronica being mad at her and Cheryl having to be left alone again, she had a lot to do before her next deadline for work. But for the next ten minutes, she allowed the steam and the sweet, fruity smell of her body wash to ease her tension. Though, her mind wandered to Cheryl more than she wanted it to.

The girl was such a mystery. And as much as Toni enjoyed her company and wanted to keep her around, she was a stranger. One that could have shown up on her doorstep with dangerous baggage, even if she was harmless herself. But why did she come to her? How did she know Toni but not know her own name? She seemed to only know words that she heard people say, whether in person or on TV or on the radio, like she couldn’t form her own coherent thoughts or words. 

Sighing, Toni turned off the water and stepped out of the glass doors of the shower, drying herself off quickly before getting dressed for the day. In a simple white blouse and high-rise blue jeans, she threw her hair into a lazy but stylish ponytail and put on a bit of makeup, not going for a full face today. Once she was satisfied with her appearance, she tiptoed back across the hall to her room, her shoulders slumping at the sight of her empty, unmade bed.

“Cheryl?” she asked, looking in her closet, wondering if the redhead had decided to go through her clothes again. But quiet, peaceful humming from the other room caught her attention as she made her way back into the hall, shoes in hand. “Cher?”

Making her way into the main living space, Toni couldn’t help but chuckle at the taller girl, who was walking around absentmindedly, running a fork through her long red hair.

“What are you doing?” Toni laughed, stepping closer as she slipped on her shoes. 

“Hey, Toni,” was all the redhead said in response, still combing through her hair with the utensil. But she didn’t hesitate to squeeze the older girl into a hug.

Toni hugged her back with a smile, still giggling. “Why are you combing your hair with a fork?”

“Ariel does it,” Cheryl smiled, continuing to comb through her formerly braided hair.

“Ariel was misinformed by a deranged seagull,” she snorted a light laugh.

“You like Ariel. Ariel was your first crush,” the redhead explained, ignoring the comment about Scuttle. 

“Yeah, but that doesn’t explain why you’re combing your hair with a fork,” Toni smiled, watching as Cheryl simply shrugged her shoulders and continued to pace around the room, running the fork through the ends of her hair. “Okay, well...you want some pancakes?”

“Pancakes, yes!” Cheryl nodded with wide eyes, remembering how they bought the box of pancake mix yesterday after Toni explained what they were.

“Come on then, you’re helping,” Toni smiled and turned towards the kitchen, laughing when she heard the clang of a forgotten fork hitting the floor behind her as Cheryl ran to catch up.

**xxx**

After the messy process of making pancakes and a quick wardrobe change for both girls (turns out Cheryl and pancake mix were a dangerous combination), Toni was packing up her things for work, getting ready to leave.

“Okay, you know the drill,” Toni sighed, adjusting her bag on her shoulder, “Just stay in the apartment. Watch TV, don’t go in Veronica’s room, and just...please...don’t go through my stuff, okay? I should be back by six at the latest.”

Cheryl nodded her head from her spot on the couch, mumbling a quiet but cheery “okay, Toni,” before turning back to the TV, placing cherries on her fingertips. 

The pink haired girl let her shoulders relax a little, grateful that this morning was already going much smoother than yesterday’s. She assumed it had something to do with the fact that Cheryl knew she would return, whereas yesterday she seemed a bit panicked that she would lose her. 

Biting her lip, Toni went back to her room, coming back with a small tablet and taking a seat beside Cheryl on the couch. “I wanna show you something before I leave,” she smiled as Cheryl tore her eyes from the TV to pay attention, “This is my old iPad. If you need me for anything, you can FaceTime me. Just hit this button here and click on my name, Toni Topaz...”

She tapped on her own name on the screen and pulled out her phone, showing her the ringing device and accepting the call, “See? We can talk to each other through the screen.”

Cheryl’s eyes lit up as she held the iPad, giggling at Toni’s face on the screen. “I can see you,” she waved at the screen before leaning over to see herself on Toni’s phone.

“Exactly,” Toni laughed and hung up the call, “So just call me if you need me for anything. I’m gonna get going.”

“Good luck, Toni,” the redhead grinned, hugging her tightly before leaning back on the couch contently.

“See you later, Cher.”

With one last glance back at the redhead, Toni closed the apartment door, locking it behind her before making her way down to the elevator. Her phone began to ring in her bag as she waited for the double doors to open and she fished the device out, rolling her eyes endearingly when she saw her own name on the screen.

“Hey, Cher,” she smiled at the screen after hitting ‘accept’, seeing her friend’s smiling face on the screen in her hand. 

_“Hey, Toni!”_ Cheryl waved back with a giggle.

“You okay?” Toni asked with amusement in her voice, honestly finding it kind of cute that Cheryl called not even two minutes after she left the apartment. 

_“I am okay,”_ she nodded, _“I am eating cherries. They are my favorite. They are my crush.”_

“Are they, now?” The older girl laughed as she stepped into the elevator, seeing no point in explaining to Cheryl that you couldn’t have a crush on food. She doubted that she would understand anyways. “So what are you gonna do today while I’m gone?”

_“Watch TV. Eat cherries. I might sit in the water....”_

“Sit in the water?”

_“In the big white bowl.”_

“Oh, you’re gonna take a bath?”

_“Yes, a bath. I have pancake mix in my hair,”_ Cheryl held up a strand of her long red hair to prove it, showing Toni the dried up mix that had caked onto it.

“I probably should have been in charge of stirring,” she shook her head with a smile, “I’m about to head out, so I’ll see you when I get home.”

_“Okay, Toni. Good luck!”_

“Bye, Cher,” the pinkeyes grinned, ending the call as she stepped out onto the sidewalk from the apartment stoop. 

Cheryl would be just fine.

**xxx**

Toni rolled her eyes as she watched her phone light up for what felt like the thousandth time in the past three hours. She was starting to regret telling Cheryl how to contact her, because the girl had called at least three times an hour ever since she left the apartment. And god forbid she didn’t answer, the phone would just keep on vibrating until she did. At least if she answered, it gave her a break from the incessant calls for just a little while.

“Hey again, Cheryl,” Toni sighed, giving the redhead a soft smile through the screen. Every time she answered, Cheryl acted like they hadn’t talked in ages. 

_“Hey, Toni! How **you** doin’? I am watching Friends!”_ Cheryl turned the screen to show her the sitcom on TV, _“It is starting to water from the sky.”_

“It’s rain, Cheryl. It rained last night, remember?” the pinkette leaned her chin in her hand as she tried to speak quietly at her desk. Thank goodness for headphones with attached microphones.

_“Yes, you were frightened. You do not like rain,”_ Cheryl said pointedly.

“I don’t mind rain. It’s the thunder and lightning that freaks me out,” Toni explained, watching as Cheryl seemed to hold her attention on the TV instead of their call. Just like the last time, and the time before that, “Cher, I’m gonna get back to work now.”

_“Okay, Toni,”_ the redhead waved to her on the screen before Toni ended the call, sighing. She really needed to get this assignment done. She didn’t mind talking to Cheryl, but her irrelevant calls were starting to drive her crazy. And she couldn’t just turn her phone off. She still had to work for another 6 hours, and she had a feeling that if Cheryl couldn’t reach her, she’d show up in person.

“Toni, please keep your personal calls to a minimum. If you have somewhere better to be, you’re more than welcome to clock out for the day,” a middle-aged man approached the side of her desk, looking at her disapprovingly. 

“Sorry, Mr. Samson. I have a friend staying with me and she’s-“

“I don’t want your excuses. One more strike and you’re out for the day, Toni. I need focus and drive on my team.”

“Yes, sir,” she nodded, watching him walk away. 

Speaking of whom.

Her phone lit up once again with yet another incoming FaceTime call from the mysterious girl. With a groan of frustration, she slid her chair out from her desk and stepped out of the office space, making her way through the lobby and out to the bustling sidewalk. “What do you want, Cheryl? I’m trying to work.” Her voice was stern, trying to get her point across. She didn’t mean to sound so frustrated, but she had deadlines to meet and she was one step from getting sent home.

_“I-I wanted to say h-“_ Cheryl stammered on the other end, not expecting her firm tone. 

“You’ve said hi to me ten times since I left the apartment. I’m gonna get in trouble for this, Cheryl. Stop calling me unless you need something important, okay? I’ll see you when I get home and you can say hi to me all you want then,” Toni snapped, ending the call before bringing her hands to her face and groaning in frustration. She felt bad, but hopefully it stopped Cheryl from calling at least for a little while. But for now, she willed herself to stop thinking of the hurt look on Cheryl’s face and just get back to work. The sooner she finished, the sooner she could go home and apologize.

**xxx**

“Cheryl, I’m home!” Toni called out as she unlocked the apartment, glancing around. The TV was on and as usual, there were two empty jars of cherries on the coffee table. But no Cheryl.

Setting her things down on the table, Toni made her way to the hallway. Maybe Cheryl was raiding her closet again. She hadn’t gotten a single call from the redhead after she told her to stop calling, and she just hoped that she wasn’t upset with her.

“Cheryl?” she called out again. But this time, instead of silence as her response, she was met with the sound of splashing, a thud, and a glimpse of damp red hair near the bathroom floor before the door was slammed shut. “Cher, are you okay?” she darted for the door, reaching for the bronze knob.

“I am okay, Toni. Please do not come in,” Cheryl’s frantic voice came from the other side of the door.

“Did you fall or something? What were you doing on the floor?” 

“Please go away,” her voice sounded shaken, like she was scared of something. And as much as Toni wanted to pry, the least she could do was give her the privacy she asked for. 

“Okay, well...I’ll be in the living room if you need me. Do you want leftover spaghetti for dinner?”

Silence was all she got in return, as well as a few ripples of water at her feet coming from under the door. What the hell was going on in there? 

With a sigh, Toni just turned on her heel, deciding to leave her alone. She could ask her about it when she got out of the bathroom. But a few minutes later while she was cleaning up the living room, she heard the bathroom door open, followed by the sound of her bedroom door closing. 

Apparently Cheryl didn’t want to talk to her. 

Toni decided to give her her space and just wait for her to come out to talk. She hoped that after she cleaned and dried the bathroom, Cheryl would want to talk to her. It didn’t happen. Toni tried to give her a few minutes, but minutes turned into hours. It was nearing nine o’clock and Cheryl hadn’t come out or made any noise. She tried to coax her out a few times, but nothing worked. And if Toni hadn’t been worried before, she was certainly worried by now. 

“Cheryl, can I come in? You’ve been in there for three hours, what’s going on?” she knocked on her bedroom door, pressing her ear to the wood, “Come on, Cher, if you’re mad at me for what I said earlier, I’m sorry. I was just really busy and my boss is a dick and told me to stop taking calls.” It was a piss poor excuse for an apology, but she could only do so much through a door. And all she could hear was the steady fall of rain outside.

Giving her a few more minutes to come out, Toni huffed, grabbing a jar of cherries from the fridge before making her way back over to the door. “Cher, I’m coming in, okay?” She turned the knob slowly and opened the door slowly, trying not to scare her. But the redhead didn’t even seem to notice her presence. She had her back turned to her and her arm was sticking out the open window as she watched the raindrops hit her pale skin in the glow of the streetlights. 

“Cheryl?” Toni asked quietly, “I thought you might be hungry. Figured I’d bring you some cherries as a peace offering.”

“Peace offering?” she asked quietly not turning back to face her. 

“Yeah, cause I was really rude to you earlier when you called. I just wanted to say I’m sorry. I was frustrated, but I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“You did not upset me, Toni,” she finally turned to face her, bringing her wet arm in from the window. 

“You seem pretty upset,” the older girl said softly, noting the tears on her flushed cheeks, “Were you crying?”

Cheryl reached up to touch the stray tears left under her eyes, looking at her fingers confusedly. “I was crying,” she muttered honestly, nodding her head.

“Why were you crying if I didn’t upset you?”

“I am...uh...” her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she tried to figure out how to explain how she was feeling, “I am sad for my home.”

“Sad for your home? Did something happen?”

“No, I would like to back, but I would also like to stay here with you.”

“Are you saying you’re homesick? You miss your friends and family?”

“Homesick, yes,” Cheryl nodded sadly, sitting cross legged on Toni’s bed.

“Where, um...” Toni opens the jar of maraschino cherries and joins her on the bed, handing it to her, “Where’s home for you?”

Cheryl sighed, hanging her head as she glanced into the jar, for once, uninterested in her go-to snack. “Far away.”

“How far are we talking? A few hours away like Riverdale or...even farther?”

“Farther than Riverdale.”

“Uhh...are you from another country? Like Canada?” Toni tried to press for information, but she found herself more genuinely interested in learning about Cheryl than solving the mystery of where she came from. 

“I do not know.”

“You don’t know? What are you from outer space or something? Are you an alien?” she teased, her eyes wide and her mouth agape. At least it got the redhead to giggle through her tears. 

“You are funny, Toni,” she smiled, reaching for one of her hands.

“I like to think so.”

“You are also very kind,” Cheryl squeezed her hand gently.

Toni shook her head with a light breath of laughter, “I’m not always kind. I can be mean sometimes.”

“But you say you are sorry after. Not all people are as kind as you. That is very special.”

“I guess so,” she bit her lip, looking up to see Cheryl deep brown eyes staring back at her. Her eyes were hypnotizing. They were almost black, they were so dark, but they were also warm. The kind of warmth that hits you right when you walk outside on a cool, but sunny day, instantly covering you in a blanket of comfortable heat. “So...you never denied being from outer space. So which planet are you from?” Toni smirked, nudging the redhead playfully as they both giggled.

“I am from this planet,” Cheryl smiled, catching her tongue between her teeth as her nose scrunched up in laughter.

“Well, I guess that makes my job of making you less homesick a little easier. Anything I can do to help you feel more at home?”

Cheryl just smiled at her, silently leaning over to hug her tightly like she always did, “I feel at home with you, Toni.”

Toni’s breath hitched in her throat. Those words should have scared her. She should have pushed her away and kicked her out. But it was hard to tell herself to be rational when her heart was beating so damn hard and fast in her chest.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy sunday and happy reading!

“Betts, I owe you one, seriously, thank you again. So much.” 

Toni sighed relieved into her cell phone. It was Friday and the week had flown by much too quickly for her liking. Not only was she busy with work, but she was starting to lose time to either find Cheryl a place to go or find a place of her own. She couldn’t really be mad at Veronica’s ultimatum. It _was_ her apartment and Cheryl was a stranger that she invited in without her permission. But she had a day and a half to meet her roommates demands or else she would be out on the street. There was no way she was moving back to Riverdale. 

“I’ll see you in a little bit, I’ll buzz you in,” she smiled a bit sadly before hanging up. Betty was a lifesaver. Thankfully ever since her sister Polly went off to college years ago, the Coopers had an extra room. And while it took some convincing and explaining, Toni managed to convince Betty to take Cheryl in. It was the best she could do without kicking the poor girl to the curb. She just couldn’t do that to her. 

Now she just had to tell her...

Biting her lip, Toni walked back into the apartment from the hall, unable to help the smile that crossed her face at the sight of Cheryl sitting cross-legged on the couch, combing through her hair with a fork while she watched another ocean documentary. It seemed that shows about the ocean were the only way that Toni could get her to sit still and quietly, as any other time she was energetic and chatty. She didn’t know what she had been watching while she went to work, but her vocabulary had been getting better over the last few days. Though, she still struggled with some words and their meanings.

“Remember how I bought you a comb for your hair?” The pinkette chuckled a little as she stepped into the living room, plopping down beside Cheryl, “It was so you would stop using the forks, remember?”

“Dinglehopper,” the redhead corrected her with a smile.

“It’s a-“ Toni started, but stopped herself, shaking her head, “Right. Sorry.” She watched Cheryl just smile and turn back to her show, combing contently through her long, copper hair as she giggled at a jellyfish getting sucked into a shift in the current. She’d be lying if she said she wouldn’t miss her. Despite the chaos she brought along, Cheryl had made every day of Toni’s monotonous life different and exciting. But she made a deal with Veronica and she wasn’t the type to break a deal.

“Hey, I have a question,” she piped up after a few moments of silence between them, “Did you like Riverdale?”

Cheryl nodded, putting the fork down on the coffee table, “It was very pretty. I ate cherries at Pop’s.”

“Do you remember Betty?”

“I remember Betty. She brought me here in her, um...” she mimed the act of steering a car with her hands, furrowing her brows as she tried to remember the word.

“Her car?”

“Yes. Car. There are many cars here. Very loud, even at night.”

“Yeah, it’s like that in the city, I guess,” Toni smiled, leaning against the back of the couch as she tried to muster up the courage to tell Cheryl that this was her last day in the apartment. “So, I-“

“Do you not miss Riverdale, Toni?” Cheryl interrupted with a sad smile, “Riverdale misses you.”

A bit caught off guard by the question, Toni’s mouth gaped open a little as she thought of an answer. “I mean...not really. There’s nothing really there for me anymore...except for Jughead and Betty.”

“What about Violet?”

“What?”

“Your boat.”

A lump formed in her throat. Violet, her father’s boat that was named after her mother, had been docked for thirteen years. She was probably mossy and rusted and covered in barnacles by now. It was left to Toni, after her dad died, but she never had the heart to do anything with it except let it just sit there. Every day she told herself to go take care of it. To at least clean it up a bit so her dad wouldn’t be disappointed. But each day made it harder and harder to even look it. Until eventually, she hadn’t thought about it at all until now. 

“It’s okay where it is...” she muttered, “How do you know about that?”

“You were on the boat...” 

“I haven’t been on it since I was six,” Toni eyed her suspiciously. 

Cheryl just bit her lip, staring back at her as she reached up to twirl a few strands of pink hair between her fingers, watching endearingly at the pink sliding effortlessly against her pale skin.

“Cheryl, I have to tell you something.”

“What is it, Toni?”

“I...I mean, you can’t-“ Toni struggled to find the words. All she could think about was how Cheryl would react, and how this could all go very far downhill very quickly. She’d thought about not telling her and just letting her go with Betty with no explanation, but the thought of that broke her heart. That wouldn’t be fair to her at all. But how was she supposed to break the news to her now? “Cheryl...Do you know why Veronica hasn’t been here all week?”

“She went to stay with her boyfriend. That is what you told me,” the redhead nodded.

“But do you know _why_?” She watched as the younger girl just stared blankly, trying to buy herself some time. “Veronica told me that-“

The buzzing from the call box by the door cut her off, leaving her groaning as she got up to go answer it. 

“Hello?” she asked through the speaker, just in case.

“Hey, it’s me,” Betty’s always cheery voice spoke back.

Toni just sighed and looked nervously back at Cheryl. “Come on up,” she pressed the button before buzzing her in. “Cheryl, I know this is probably gonna be confusing, and you might not understand, but I need you to listen, okay?”

The redhead nodded, turning to face as she fiddled with the ends of her own hair.

“Veronica wasn’t comfortable with you being here, that’s why she hasn’t been around. Veronica doesn’t know you, and this is her apartment. She was nice enough to let you stay here with me for the week but-“ Betty knocking at the door cut her off once again before she turned to open it, smiling at her blonde friend and giving her a hug. “I’m trying to explain to her now, I don’t know what to say,” she whispered in her ear, apprehension present on her face when she pulled back. Betty just nodded in response, turning to Cheryl to try to take over.

“Hey, Cheryl, remember me?” she grinned cheerfully, approaching the redhead with a wave of her hand. Last time Betty saw her, she was a nameless stranger, but Toni had informed her over the phone that she went by ‘Cheryl’ now.

“Yes. Hey, Betty,” Cheryl smiled, oblivious to the situation as she waved back. 

“I’m glad you found Toni. Have you been having fun here?”

Toni watched from afar as Betty spoke to Cheryl. It was weird to see her treat her like a child, almost in a patronizing manner, but she was fine with whatever worked and made the process easier.

“A lot of fun. I watch Friends and eat cherries and hang out with Toni,” the redhead grinned, “We got ice cream and a balloon at the park.”

“That sounds exciting! Hey, what do you say we go get some fries and shakes at Pop’s tonight? It’s been almost a whole week since you’ve had one of Pop Tate’s famous milkshakes.”

Cheryl nodded excitedly, sitting up on her knees, “With Toni?”

The pink haired girl bit her lip and folded her arms around herself as Betty looked back at her. “I’ve actually got somewhere I need to be, Cheryl, so I figured you could go with Betty...”

“Why don’t you tell me about what else you’ve done since you’ve been here?” Betty smiled at Cheryl after gesturing for Toni to go pack a bag for her.

Toni smiled, trying not to seem nervous, but Cheryl’s eyes followed her until she disappeared behind the wall of the hallway. It felt like the redhead could read her thoughts and feelings with just a look. Or maybe that was just her guilty conscious. She tried her hardest to focus on packing up Cheryl’s things. She didn’t have a lot. Just the clothes she came in, the comb Toni had bought her, a spare toothbrush, and about three jars of maraschino cherries from the fridge. She didn’t have any shoes, but Toni was fine with letting her take her flip flops and whatever lounge clothes she was wearing now.

Packing the items into a small travel bag, she sighed and glanced around the room to make sure she wasn’t forgetting anything. The only other thing Cheryl had was the gold locket that never left her neck. The locket she always avoided talking about. It still looked so familiar...

“Toni,” Cheryl came into the room, moving to stand behind her and holding her hand with wide, worried eyes just as Betty appeared in the doorway.

“Cheryl, it’s gonna be okay. We’re gonna help you find your family,” Betty frowned, stepping into the room, only causing the redhead to cower further behind the slightly shorter woman in front of her. 

Toni looked over at Betty, who shrugged sympathetically, mouthing that she was sorry. Maybe they would have been better off not telling her at all. “Can you give us a minute?” Betty just nodded and went back to the living room as Toni turned around to face Cheryl who simply refused to let her hand go. “Cher, look at me. I was trying to tell you earlier, but Veronica told me that I have until the end of the week to find somewhere for you to go otherwise she’s kicking me out. I’ve been trying all this time to find out where you came from, but this was my only option. Betty and her mom are really nice, they have a really big house right near the ocean and they’re gonna take care of you until we can figure out where you came from, okay?”

Cheryl was shaking her head and Toni tried her hardest to ignore the shine of tears forming in her dark brown eyes. 

“Hey, listen, I’ll come visit as much as I can, okay? But you just...can’t stay here anymore, I’m sorry,” her voice cracked as she tried not to get upset. If she got upset, it would only make this harder than it already was. “Come on,” she tugged her hand gently to lead her out of the room.

“No, Toni,” Cheryl’s voice was thick with tears as she tried to resist. But the older girl ignored it as best she could, leading her out to the living room and handing Betty the small backpack.

“This is all she’s got. Her shoes are the flip flops by the door,” Toni explained to the blonde, trying to ignore the pleas of the crying girl behind her, “She likes watching Friends, The Little Mermaid, and documentaries about the ocean, so just try to have those on for her. All she wants to eat is maraschino cherries, so just keep them in stock, but try to get her to eat other things by bribing her with them. There’s a comb in the bag for her, but ever since she saw The Little Mermaid, she always wants to comb her hair with a fork.”

“Toni, no. Toni...” Cheryl fitfully pleaded, trying to release her hand from the pink haired girl’s grip so she could run back to her bedroom and hide. “Please...”

“Cheryl, it’s gonna be okay, we’re gonna have fun. We’ll go to Pop’s all the time and the beach. We even have a boardwalk with carnival games and rides every summer-“ Betty tried to reason with her. 

“Please, Toni,” Cheryl ignored her and continued to plead with the eldest of the three of them, starting to tug harder to get her to release her hand. “Do not make me go.”

Toni turned to face her, hurt in her eyes as she tried to calm her down. She could see that Cheryl was getting much more worked up than she expected. Her face was red and tear stained, she was shaking, and she wouldn’t stop begging, whether someone was talking or not. “Cheryl, just go with Betty. I’m sorry. You can’t stay here,” she squared her shoulders up, trying to look stronger than she felt as she handed her over to Betty, letting the blonde take her hand instead.

Her crying got louder and her pleading got more frantic as Toni took them to the door, muttering for Betty to just take her. But the second her fingers touched the door knob, a high-pitched screeching sound instantly made her bring her hands to her ears instead. Ear-piercing would have been a vast understatement to describe it. And after it stopped, Toni opened her eyes to see Cheryl slump down to sit on the floor, curling into herself as she sobbed miserably. 

“Okay, shh, hey,” Toni rushed to her side, her own heart pounding as she tried to comfort the distraught girl. Cheryl’s trembling hands gripped blindly at her as tears streaked down her flushed face. At this point, she wasn’t even begging to stay anymore. Just crying, like she couldn’t find the words. “Come on, let’s go to my room and calm down,” Toni soothed, helping her to her feet. Her entire body was shaking from her legs to her chattering teeth as pitiful sobs escaped her throat. It broke Toni’s heart completely in half as she lead her to her bedroom, helping her lay down on the mattress.

“T-Toni...” Cheryl’s glassy eyes met hers as she laid her head on the pillow.

“Hey, it’s okay. Get some rest, I’m gonna go talk to Betty for a little bit. Everything’s okay,” Toni smoothed her tousled hair back from her face, reaching over to turn on the radio for her, hoping that it would drown out the conversation that she and Betty would be having in the other room. 

“Do you promise?” the redhead sniffled, staring up at her.

“I promise. Everything’s okay, Cher, I promise,” she sighed.

_“Good afternoon, Manhattan! My name is Cheryl, and you’re listening to 97.5 Hits FM. And as always, we’re bringing you your favorites from the 70s, 80s, and 90s all day long. And here’s a personal favorite of mine from 1972, this is **“I Can See Clearly Now”** by Johnny Nash.”_

Toni closed the door behind her as she left the room, heading back to the living room where Betty was sitting on the couch, just as stunned as she was.

“What the hell was that? You heard that noise too, right?”

“It came from _her_ ,” Betty looked up at her.

“Are you sure? How do you know?”

“She’s done it before. When I got to work the day she showed up, she was just sitting in a corner booth with a tray of fries and a milkshake that Pop had given her. I went over and talked to her for a little bit, but she didn’t say much of anything except for your name. Like it was the only word she knew. And when I asked her what her name was, she responded with this...high pitched noise that probably would have broken the windows or something if I hadn’t quieted her down. It was like...if a dolphin and Mariah Carey had a baby or something.”

“She’s never done that with me. Not while I’ve been around, at least...But I’m pretty sure if she were doing it while I’m not around, I’d have a noise complaint from the neighbors by now,” Toni slumped back against the couch cushions, unsure of what to do.

“I don’t think she’s gonna come with me, Toni. Not without you and not without a fight.”

“Betty, she can’t stay here. I can’t let her, Veronica will kill me. And I can’t just find my own place. Not on such short notice,” she buried her face in her hands. 

“Why don’t you just come back to Riverdale until you can figure something out? You can stay with me, you don’t have to go back to F.P.’s...”

“I can’t go back there, Betty. You know I can’t,” Toni dropped her hands and looked over at her hopelessly. 

“Not even if Cheryl was there?” Betty quirked an eyebrow.

Toni just snorted a light breath of laughter and shook her head, “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“You’re obviously attached to her, Toni. I wouldn’t be here right now if you weren’t.”

“How is sending her to stay with you and trying to force her out of the apartment me being attached?”

“Toni. Come on. If you weren’t attached, you would be sending her out on her own without caring. You wouldn’t be trying to find a reliable and safe place for her to live, and you wouldn’t have taken her to go calm down in your room.”

“So I’m not an asshole. Big deal.”

“Did you hear yourself when you brought her out here? You were giving me a laundry list of things about her as if I were a babysitter or something. Face it, T, you’re attached to her. There’s nothing wrong with that. But in this situation, you have to figure out what you want more. To live here with Veronica, or to keep Cheryl in your life.”

Toni bit her lip, glancing down at her lap where she was twiddling her thumbs distractedly, unsure of what to say.

Betty turned to face her, leaning sideways against the cushions as she sighed. “Think of it this way. There’s a ton of apartments in this city. You can live anywhere. But there’s only one Cheryl.”

Her heart dropped in her chest as she realized that Betty was right. The redhead down the hall was still a mystery, but she couldn’t imagine coming home after work and not seeing her sitting on the couch eating cherries off her fingertips or padding around the apartment singing to herself while she combed her hair with a fork. And she didn’t want to. 

She was attached.

“What am I supposed to do?” she turned to Betty, her voice quiet with defeat, “I can’t go back to Riverdale yet, Betty, I just...I can’t. I’m not ready. Being forced to stay in that town after what happened...”

“Look, I don’t know Veronica, so I don’t know if this is a ridiculous suggestion, but why don’t you just ask her to get to know Cheryl a little better. Maybe that will make her more comfortable with her being here. At least to buy you some time before you can maybe find your own place?”

“I don’t think she’ll agree to that.”

“How about this. We’ll all go out to dinner tonight, you, me and Cheryl. Invite Veronica and we can all just...get to know each other. Maybe Veronica will change her mind by the end of of the night.”

“I doubt she’ll show up if she knows Cheryl will be there,” Toni rolled her eyes.

“Who says she has to know?”

“Elizabeth Cooper, are you suggesting that I _lie_?” She gaped dramatically, causing the blonde to laugh. 

“A little white lie never hurt anyone, right?” Betty shrugged, chuckling as Toni leaned over to hug her as thank you.

“I’m paying for dinner. And you’re staying the night. I feel bad you drove all the way here and you’re not leaving with her like you were supposed to.”

“You know I never say no to a sleepover, T. Go call Veronica.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hallo hallo happy Friday! I’m going on vacation for a week and a half so I won’t be able to update this on Sunday like normal, and I’m not sure about next sunday just yet. But here’s an early update for the weekend!

“Would you hold still?” Toni giggled at the squirming redhead sitting in front of her. It was a few hours after Betty had arrived at her apartment to take Cheryl back to Riverdale. And after Cheryl’s breakdown and a chat with her blonde best friend, Toni had decided that regardless of what happened, she wasn’t going to leave Cheryl behind or send her away. Even if she wasn’t ‘attached’, as Betty put it, she wasn’t heartless. 

Next step was breaking the news to Veronica. She had gotten her to agree to meet her and Betty for dinner. And the heiress insisted on them going to one of her father’s restaurants in Times Square. However, Toni didn’t exactly mention that Cheryl would be joining them. She had a feeling that if she had, Veronica wouldn’t have agreed to meet up with her at all. 

So now, while Betty was getting ready in her bedroom, Toni was _attempting_ to put some makeup on Cheryl. The girl had naturally gorgeous features. Long eyelashes, plump pink lips, and a clear, nearly flawless pale complexion. She didn’t need makeup at all, but she had insisted on wearing some after watching Toni put hers on in the mirror. 

“I’m almost done, stop squirming,” she chuckled, pulling the eyeshadow brush back from Cheryl’s face until she stopped moving. She wad glad that Cheryl was in a better mood than before. Aside from being a little extra clingy, she acted as if the incident a few hours ago had never even happened, and Toni wasn’t about to be the one to bring it up and risk upsetting her again. So for now, she finished covering Cheryl’s eyelids with a subtle bit of color while the redhead played with the hem of the red dress Toni had let her borrow. 

“There, all done,” Toni used her thumb to blend in a bit of blush she had put on her cheeks before putting the eyeshadow brush down, “Now just a little lipstick...” She searched through the colors she had, deciding that a deep shade of red would go well with the short red dress Cheryl had picked out of her closet. She had wanted to go in the sparkly leggings she seemed to love so much, but Toni helped her pick out something more presentable for a five star restaurant.

Helping Cheryl blot her lips on a tissue, Toni smiled at her handiwork and helped her stand up from the toilet seat lid so she could see herself in the mirror. “What do you think?” She watched as Cheryl just stared curiously at her reflection with a smile, “I think you look pretty.”

“You think I am pretty?” her voice was quiet, just barely louder than a whisper. But she seemed happy with Toni’s words as she caught her eyes in the mirror.

The shorter girl seemed caught off guard by her question, her jaw slacking a bit as she thought of an answer. She had literally just said that she thought she looked pretty, so why was she struggling to find something to say now? “Yeah, I um...I do,” she nodded with a bit of a nervous smile before starting to clean up the brushes and products around the counter surrounding the sink.

“I am pretty like Toni,” she heard Cheryl say softly to herself, glancing over to see her playing with the ends of her curled hair. 

Biting her lip, the pink haired girl held her glance on her new friend from the corner of her eye, watching as she toyed with her hair and smiled at her own reflection. For some reason those words that were uttered with Cheryl’s usual blissful ignorance, were making Toni’s heart beat ten times faster. It wasn’t like Cheryl was looking for a response. She was apparently just making an observation. 

Toni wasn’t used to being nervous around girls. If anything, she was usually the one to make the first move. But Cheryl made her feel so oddly intimidated. Something about the way she flirted so effortlessly caught Toni completely off guard every time. And even stranger, was the fact that Cheryl probably had no idea what the effects of her words were. She just said whatever came to mind. 

But Cheryl didn’t like her like that. She couldn’t. The girl didn’t even know how to properly use a fork, how was she supposed to understand the concept of romance? Toni didn’t even completely understand what it meant to be in love. There was no way that Cheryl could.

_Love? Seriously, Toni? You’ve known her for less than a week. You don’t even know her real name or where she comes from._

But was it wrong for her to _like_ her? Betty was right, she definitely was attached. It was like as if Toni had rescued a stray puppy from the street and named it, making it harder to give up. Except in this case, that puppy had come to find _her_ and named itself. 

After the past six days, Toni was starting to realize that it didn’t matter where Cheryl came from or what her story was. Even if she actually _was_ an alien from another planet. Toni liked having her around. She hadn’t realized how bleak and grey her life was until Cheryl showed up and started slowly filling it with color. Shades of red, to be exact. Red cherries, red balloons, and now red dresses with matching red lipstick. 

Maybe her feelings weren’t completely platonic...

“Toni?” Cheryl’s gentle voice caught her attention. Her deep brown eyes were warm and filled with concern and curiosity as she stepped closer, “You are staring.”

Averting her eyes with an intense blush, Toni shook her head and continued to pack all the little tubes and brushes into her makeup bag. How long had she been lost in thought? 

Trying to distract herself from her racing mind and heart, Toni kept her attention on the products she was mindlessly tossing into the little toiletry bag. But her trembling hands betrayed her, accidentally knocking the bag and all its contents to the tiled floor between their feet.

“Fuck,” she muttered under a shaky breath before bending down to start picking everything up. Now she probably looked like a total idiot. Mascara, eyeliner, lipstick and what felt like a hundred other things were quickly, but clumsily picked up from the floor and put back into the bag as Toni mentally kicked herself. And to make matters worse, her fingers brushed with the pale ones of the redhead who had bent down to help, making her retract her hand in surprise. 

“Toni, are you okay? You are acting strangely,” Cheryl’s eyebrows knit together in adorable confusion.

_Stop it, Toni!_

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Toni nodded and stood back up, zipping up the toiletry bag and nervously smoothing down her long pink hair. “I’m okay, sorry. Just...a little nervous...about talking to Veronica.”

Cheryl just nodded in understanding and stepped a bit closer until they were nearly toe to toe, reaching out to twirl the ends of the pink strands through her fingers affectionately. Little did she know that the once annoying and innocent action was sending Toni’s brain into overload. 

Their brown eyes met as the pinkette found herself unable to look away. Something about Cheryl’s eyes were hypnotizing, and she felt herself trapped between helplessness and contentment as she watched her face inch closer.

“Are you guys almost ready?” Betty’s voice came with a knock from the other side of the bathroom door, breaking Toni out of her trance as she ripped herself away from Cheryl.

“Y-yeah, we’ll be right out!” she called back, anxiously smoothing out her dress and hair, beckoning for Cheryl to follow her out of the room.

**xxx**

Gently tugging Cheryl along, Toni tried her hardest to keep her focused on walking to the restaurant. However, the redhead’s attention was on every single blinking neon light she could find. And unfortunately for Toni, they were littered up and down Times Square. The older girl had gotten over the fascination with Times Square long ago. If anything, she hated coming up here now. It was nothing but tourists and traffic. But Veronica’s father certainly picked a popular spot for one of his restaurants, and unfortunately, that meant fighting the crowds to get there. But at least it served as a nice distraction from the nerves she had pent up in her chest earlier.

“It’s just up ahead,” Toni pointed with her free hand as she glanced over at Betty.

“It was really nice of Veronica to get us a table. I’m sure the waiting list of reservations is crazy,” the blonde smiled, giggling as Toni was nearly dragged back by Cheryl, who apparently thought a pack of bicycles with LED lights in the spokes was more important than walking forward. 

“Yeah, from what she tells me it’s pretty hard to get a table. But she has one that’s reserved for her family at all times,” Toni grunted as she pulled Cheryl’s arm hard enough to get her attention back. It didn’t help that the girl in the red dress was wobbly on her feet like she had never worn heels before. 

After two final distractions on the way, the girls approached the revolving door of the high class restaurant. Toni let Betty in first and followed her in, but she lost her grip on Cheryl’s hand. The redhead looked apprehensive when Toni spotted her back through the glass of the doors. She gestured for Betty to go ahead as she continued through the circular doorway until she was back outside. “What’s wrong?”

Cheryl looked at her, biting her painted red lip with uncertainty. 

“Is it the doors? They move slow, I promise. Nothing to be afraid of,” Toni extended her hand for Cheryl to take, offering her a comforting smile as pale fingers found their way into hers. Her heart leapt to her throat when Cheryl pressed right up against her back, staying as close as possible so she didn’t get stuck in the revolving mechanism or get separated from her. 

Just like Toni said, the doors moved slowly. And before Cheryl knew it, they were in the lobby of the restaurant. 

“Everything okay?” Betty asked, adjusting her purse strap on her shoulder. 

“Yeah, I guess she’s never been through a revolving door before,” Toni whispered with an amused smile as she felt Cheryl let go of her hand. She smoothed out the wrinkles in the skirt of her dress and started to lead the way to the line that was formed in front of the podium.

“Uh, Toni, I think she’s gotten the hang of it,” Betty’s chuckling voice made her turn back around, seeing her pointing in the direction of the doors where Cheryl was going in circles with a big smile and laughter that even onlooking strangers thought was infectious.

Rolling her eyes, Toni bit back a smile as she went back to the doors, quirking an eyebrow in amusement at her childish friend. “Cheryl, come on, we have to go get in line so we can eat,” she pulled her out by her hand, laughing with her as she stumbled out from between the glass doors. Thankfully other people in the restaurant seemed to find Cheryl as charming and endearing as she did, otherwise they would have gotten nothing but dirty looks. 

“Toni, look!” Cheryl tugged on her arm once they got back in line, pointing across the white marble lobby to a large, brightly lit aquarium in the wall.

“Cool, huh? We’ll go look at it after dinner. We’re already late for meeting Veronica,” the pink haired girl smiled, feeling nerves settle in the pit of her stomach again at the thought of talking to her roommate. Though, the sight of the pout on Cheryl’s face made those annoying nerves in her gut disappear, replacing them with a different kind of nervous feeling. Instead of feeling like her stomach was filled with nothing but nausea-inducing bile, instead she felt the familiar flutter of butterfly wings flapping around, making her face heat up with an intense blush. 

She chatted with Betty while they waited in line, holding tightly to Cheryl’s hand to make sure she didn’t run off again. It wasn’t a long wait, but she could tell that the redhead was getting antsy. She wondered if Cheryl had ever been to a restaurant before. There were so many things that were normal and second nature to her that Cheryl had never seemed to experience. It was like she was locked away in someone’s basement her whole life and had just now been let out into the real world. 

“Ladies, welcome to _Le Chalet_. How may I help you?” a man in a nice suit asked politely when it was their turn to approach the podium.

“My name is Antoinette Topaz, we’re supposed to be meeting Veronica Lodge for dinner,” Toni gestured to the other girls behind her.

“Annntoinnnnette,” she heard Cheryl sounding out quietly to herself over her right shoulder while the host scrolled through his tablet.

“Ah, yes. Miss Topaz. Right this way, I’ll show you to Miss. Lodge’s private table. She’s waiting for you,” he picked up a few menus and started to walk down the hall. 

Though it was a little too fancy for her taste, Toni did love this restaurant. The look of it was just aesthetically pleasing. White marble, blue neon lights, and crystal clear glass on most, if not all surfaces. It was amazing. Even Betty, who always seemed to appreciate more simple things, was impressed. 

“Right this way,” the host gestured for the three of them to enter the glass elevator that would take them to Veronica’s private table on the third floor. He pressed a button that lit up blue, much to Cheryl’s excitement. But thankfully Toni caught her before she had the chance to press all the buttons like she liked to do at the apartment. 

Once at the third floor, the glass doors of the elevator opened into a dimly lit dining room. From what Toni remembered, Veronica said the third floor was reserved for only the highly elite and her friends and family, of course. Toni remembered the first time she came to _Le Chalet_ for Veronica’s birthday last year and Beyoncé was just a few tables away. 

Gripping Cheryl’s hand tighter as they approached Veronica’s large round booth in the corner, Toni bit her lip apprehensively as she locked eyes with the raven haired girl. Though, the heiress’s smile quickly dropped when she saw the wide eyed girl attached to Toni’s side. 

But her mood flipped like a switch as she put on what Toni knew was a ‘grin and bear it’ face, getting up to greet them. “Betty! It’s been too long, how have you been?” the oldest of the four practically squealed, getting up to hug the blonde in the pink dress as the host placed their menus on the table. 

Toni watched the exchange and helped Cheryl slide into the circular booth, planning on sitting down on the edge beside her. She figured it would cut down on the chances of her running off if she was trapped in the middle. But as Betty sat on the other side of Cheryl, Veronica grabbed Toni’s arm, keeping the fake smile on her face.

“Toni, can I see you for a moment?” she seemed to grit through her teeth. Toni could feel her nails digging into the skin of her arm already.

“Uh, yeah,” she nodded before turning to the other two, “I’ll be right back.”

Veronica smiled at the younger girls at the table and dragged Toni to a quiet corner after thanking the host for bringing them. “You lied to me,” she hissed once they were far enough away, “You didn’t tell me that _she_ would be here. Though, I’d be foolish not to admit that she cleans up nicely.”

“I know, I’m sorry. But come on, Veronica, would you have agreed to meet me if I told you she was coming?” Toni crossed her hands over her chest.

The Latina hesitated for a moment before mirroring her pose, “I suppose not. But I wouldn’t have chosen such a high end location. I have a reputation to protect, here, T. It doesn’t make me look too good if my roommate’s random visitor from high school is swinging from the rafters in my father’s restaurant.”

“She’s a human being, Ronnie. She might be a little...off, but she wasn’t raised in the jungle.”

“Regardless. Just please make sure she keeps herself in check.”

“I will,” Toni rolled her eyes briefly, getting a bit defensive, “You know she’s not as bad as you make her out to be.”

“I’m a firm believer in first impressions. The second impression wasn’t much better. Look, Toni, I know she’s your friend, but-“

“But what? Veronica, she’s harmless. It’s been a week, don’t you think if she was some kind of threat, I would know by now? I called Betty to come pick her up, because I know you were only giving me until the end of the week and...you should have seen her, she just...she got so upset, I couldn’t force her out.” She met Veronica’s eyes with her own sad and pleading ones, “I can’t just ditch her, V. I can’t do that to her. She came to _me._ I still don’t know why, but I feel like she’s my responsibility now.”

Veronica’s sharp features softened a bit as she sighed sympathetically. “You know what we agreed on...”

“I know. I’m gonna start looking for my own place, but...I just need to stay in the apartment until I do. I understand if you don’t wanna be there, but...she’s really nothing to be afraid of.”

“I’m not _afraid_ of her. Please. But I don’t know her.”

“Well, why not _get_ to know her? Come on, you and I met _online_ and you let me come live with you.”

“Yes, but you also didn’t just show up at my apartment with no shoes, acting like a drug addict,” Veronica countered, “But fine. You’re one of my best friends, so I’ll do this for you. I’ll be civil with her, but I can’t promise that I’ll be comfortable living under the same roof as her by the end of the night.”

“That’s all I ask. She’s really sweet, I promise.”

“Something tells me you have a little crush on her,” she quirked an eyebrow with a knowing grin.

“I do not,” Toni blushed fiercely, averting her gaze.

“I don’t know if anyone’s ever told you this, Toni, but you have a terrible poker face,” the older girl linked their arms together to head back to the table. But much to Toni’s horror, Betty was sitting alone, glancing at her menu. 

“Betty, where’s Cheryl?” her heart dropped to her stomach as she immediately thought the worst. 

“She’s not with you? She said she was going to find you,” the blonde put her menu down and looked back at her with an equally horrified expression.

Toni raked her fingers through her hair as her heart sped up in her chest. Where could Cheryl have gone? Veronica would kill her if she was off doing something that would embarrass her. 

“Go check the bathroom, Betty, check the second floor, I’ll go check the-“ she cut herself off abruptly as a lightbulb went off in her head. She knew _exactly_ where Cheryl was. “Actually, stay here. I have a feeling I know where she is.”

The other two girls eyed her curiously as she walked briskly to the glass elevator, tapping furiously on the button until the doors opened to take her down to the lobby. 

Once she reached the bottom floor, she practically sprinted to the lobby, glancing around the white marble room for the redhead. And just as she suspected, she was standing in front of the aquarium...talking to a guy. 

Okay, she didn’t suspect _that._

She stood, a bit stunned as she watched Cheryl interact with the man, who seemed to be distracting her from the aquarium. And she couldn’t help but feel a little twinge in the pit of her stomach when she saw how Cheryl’s deep brown eyes lit up when he talked to her. But she quickly reminded herself that Cheryl got that same look on her face when she saw a pigeon on the balcony yesterday. It didn’t mean anything. And even if it did, what did she care? Toni wasn’t the type to get jealous. Cheryl wasn’t her property. 

_Wait...what is she doing?_

Toni stepped a bit closer, her eyes widening as she saw the redhead lean up in her heels as she took the man’s scruffy face in her hands.

_Do something!_

“Cheryl!” Toni called out, maybe a little louder than necessary for the serene lobby. But she couldn’t even care right now. She had bigger problems. 

The younger girl turned to face her, her red lips spreading into an excited grin as she waved, “Hey, Toni! This is Josh, he is a man.”

“What are you doing? Why did you leave the table?” the pink haired girl approached her quickly, grabbing her hand to take her back upstairs.

“Who’s this?” the random man smirked in their direction.

Toni was immediately creeped out, but Cheryl just smiled and hugged Toni’s shoulders with one arm. 

“This is my Toni,” she smiled warmly at the slightly shorter girl.

“Wait, are you two...” he gestured between the two of them and Toni could fee her cheeks flaming up with a mix of embarrassment and rage.

“Yeah, we are, so take a hike. Cheryl, come on,” she scoffed and tugged her along back to the hallway, rolling her eyes when she heard her call a friendly “good luck!” back to the guy they’d left behind.

“What were you doing? Why did you leave the table, Cheryl? I told you we would go look at the aquarium on the way out. And you lied to Betty about where you were going? Why did you do that?” Her voice was stern and quiet as she pulled her off to the side of the hallway. She had no idea how, but Cheryl was bouncing her feelings around like a ping pong ball. Toni felt all over the place, and she hated it. “God, and then I find you about to kiss some stranger? Cheryl, what’s gotten into you?”

“He was a man,” Cheryl muttered quietly.

“Yeah, and?” What kind of explanation is that? 

“A-am I not supposed to kiss a man? Ariel kissed Eric, and Rachel kissed Ross, and-“

“No, you can kiss whoever you want, I guess, but you can’t just go kissing random strangers like that, Cher. You don’t even know that guy.”

“He is Josh.”

“Yeah, but do you know anything else about him?” She gathered from Cheryl’s silence that it was an obvious ‘no’. “Have you ever kissed anyone before?”

Cheryl shook her head. She didn’t seem embarrassed about it. And at this point, it didn’t really surprise Toni that she had never kissed anyone.

“Well, a kiss is special, okay? Especially your first kiss. You want it to be with someone who you really like, who really likes you back. It’s something you can never get ba-“ she was cut off quickly by intoxicatingly soft red lips meshing against her own, making her see stars behind her closed eyelids. Her hands instinctively gravitated to Cheryl’s waist as the redhead cupped her face in her pale hands. 

It was short and sweet, and over far too soon for Toni’s liking. 

“Like that?” Cheryl asked quietly, locking eyes with Toni after she pulled back.

The pink haired girl was too stunned to speak at first. She’d kissed plenty of girls and guys, not really finding much of a spark or connection in any of them. Her first kiss was with some jock at a party in eight grade during a stupid game of spin the bottle. Nothing but a game. And every kiss she’s had since then has felt like nothing but a game. But this...

This was something she’d _never_ felt before. 

“Yeah...like that.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya! I’ve been on vacation, so I didn’t get a chance to update yesterday but i had some time in the hotel before we leave tomorrow, so here’s a new chapter!

Toni unlocked the apartment door, unsure if she was relieved to be home or not. She was relieved to be back in the comfort and privacy of her own space, where she didn’t have to worry about people giving her strange looks because of Cheryl. But on the other hand, after the kiss the redhead had planted on her earlier in the evening, she wasn’t sure she was ready to talk to her about it just yet. And she knew that it was a conversation that couldn’t just be swept under the rug and forgotten about. Especially not with someone like Cheryl. But thankfully Betty was staying the night while Veronica went back to Reggie’s, so she wasn’t going to be left completely alone with her.

“Thanks again for inviting me out with you guys,” Betty smiled as she stepped into the apartment behind the other two girls, watching as Cheryl made a beeline straight for the kitchen. 

“Of course. I’m sorry Veronica can be kind of overbearing. It just means she likes you, I guess,” Toni chuckled. Veronica had taken Betty’s phone to put her phone number in, telling the blonde that she was an “absolute doll” and told her that she was welcome to visit any time, even if Toni wasn’t around. Toni had no idea how Veronica could possibly be in the market for more friends. It seemed like she was friends with half the city already.

“She’s pretty cool,” she smiled, watching as Cheryl came back out into the living space, already snacking on a jar of cherries as she went to sit cross-legged on the couch and turn the TV on. 

While the redhead was distracted, Toni pulled Betty towards her bedroom down the hall, closing and locking the door behind her before she started to pace across the hardwood floors. 

Meanwhile, Betty just looked on, confusedly, her eyebrows knit together. “What’s wrong?”

“Cheryl kissed me,” the shorter girl answered abruptly, panic written all over her face. 

“So? You like her. What’s the bi-“

“I do not _like_ her, Betts. I hardly know her. I _can’t_ like her,” Toni rolled her eyes.

“I didn’t see you acting like this after your hookups back in high school. And you did a lot more than kissing with them,” the blonde crossed her arms over her chest with a quirked eyebrow, watching as Toni slumped down on the edge of the bed.

“That’s different. First of all, I _knew_ them...most of them. Second of all, those were just hookups. No strings attached.”

“But there _are_ strings attached with Cheryl?”

Toni just stared at her with her jaw slacked as she thought about how to respond, “No. No, there aren’t, but-“

“How was the kiss?”

“What? Betty-”

“You said she kissed you. Did you like it?”

“It was...okay I guess.” It was one the most goosebump-inducing, mind-scrambling kisses she’d ever had, but Betty didn’t need to know that. 

“Toni...” Betty came to sit beside her, “It’s okay if you liked it. And it’s okay if you like _her_. That’s the point of dating a person, getting to know them. You don’t need to know their entire life story.”

“Yeah, but usually the person you pursue knows their birthday and last name,” she snorted a light laugh and shook her head, “What if she’s just some crazy homeless person? Or if she’s in some kind of trouble with the law or someone’s looking for her? What if it’s someone dangerous?”

“Would any of that change how you feel about her? I mean, come on, Toni, you’ve been letting her live with you all week.”

She was silent again, unsure of how to answer. Would it? She tried to think what would happen if someone were to show up at her door right now and take Cheryl away. Would she fight for her to stay or let them take her without batting an eye? Her mind drifted back to earlier today, how Cheryl’s reaction to leaving broke her heart in half. But was that really because she liked her?

“Just think about it, okay? But don’t overthink it and psych yourself out over something that could be simple,” Betty rubbed her back comfortingly with a warm smile, “For what it’s worth, I think you’d make a cute couple.”

Toni just chuckled and leaned her head onto Betty’s shoulder, sighing to herself. Maybe she really did need to stop overthinking it. It couldn’t be as complicated as she was making it out to be, right? Maybe Cheryl fell into her lap for a reason. 

“So, how was the kiss?”

“You already asked me that.”

“I know. Answer me honestly this time,” Betty smirked.

Toni just rolled her eyes and bit her lip gently, picking her head up from her best friend’s shoulder, “Best kiss I’ve had in a while. Maybe ever.” It was surprising that she felt that way, considering Cheryl had no kissing experience.

Betty just smiled and pat her back with a nod before standing up. “I’ve gotta be back at Pop’s for lunch rush tomorrow, so I’m probably gonna leave here early in the morning. Can I borrow some pajamas?”

“Yeah, everything’s in my dresser.”

“Am I sleeping on the couch?”

“Well, Cheryl normally sleeps on the cou-“

“Not tonight, she’s not,” Betty grinned slyly as she fished a t-shirt and shorts from Toni’s dresser.

“Betts, you’re not seriously gonna make her sleep in here with me, are you? Is this you trying to play some sick game of matchmaker?”

“Maybe. I’ll go tell her,” the blonde darted for the door before Toni could even blink.

“Betty, seriously, don’t-“

“Cheryl, is it okay if I take the couch and you sleep in Toni’s bed with her tonight?” she heard the blonde ask politely.

“Yes, I like to sleep in Toni’s bed,” Toni could practically picture the grin on Cheryl’s face and the glimmer of excitement in her eyes as she eavesdropped from her bedroom door.

“You do? Have you slept in her bed before?” Betty asked.

“I have slept in Toni’s bed. But only once with Toni,” Cheryl answered in the matter-of-fact way she always did. 

“Good to know,” Toni just knew that Betty was smirking like a mad man at that fact. She heard Betty tell Cheryl that she had to be up early and was ready to go to bed and took that as her cue to get out a set of pajamas for herself and Cheryl. But she tensed as she heard excited footsteps approaching her door.

“Toni, Betty said that she would like to sleep on the couch tonight and that I can sleep in your bed with you,” Cheryl told her from the doorway, gripping the hem of her red dress almost nervously, as if she was trying to hide her excitement. 

“Okay,” she nodded with a small smile, watching the way the redhead pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. Her lipstick had faded and smudged off since dinner, “Go ahead and get ready for bed, I’ll be right back.”

Cheryl nodded with an excited grin as Toni brushed past her.

Closing the door behind her, Toni practically stomped to the living room where Betty was trying to hide her amused grin. “Seriously?” She placed her hands on her hips, “You’re such a pain in my ass sometimes.”

“Oh, please, you’re gonna be thanking me soon enough,” Betty laughed quietly. 

“What am I supposed to say to her? I can’t just ignore the fact that we kissed. If I don’t bring it up, she will!” Toni whisper-yelled, gesturing down the hall to her bedroom.

“Just be honest with her, Toni. When’s the last time you had actual _feelings_ for someone?”

“...Never.”

“So what’s the worst that can happen? It’s not like your feelings are one-sided. I mean, she obviously likes you back.”

Toni just shook her head, not feeling like explaining to Betty how Cheryl can’t possibly understand the concept of dating or anything romantic. It just couldn’t work out the way Betty thought it could.

With a sigh, she put what was left of Cheryl’s jar of cherries in the fridge and tossed a pillow and blanket in Betty’s direction. “Goodnight, pain in the ass.”

“Love you, too,” Betty laughed as Toni left down the hall.

The pink haired girl quickly brushed her teeth and washed off her makeup in the bathroom, changing into the long t-shirt and shorts she had taken out of her room with her. She didn’t know what the next few minutes had in store for her, but she just hoped that it went smoothly. Maybe if she was lucky, Cheryl would already be passed out on her bed. But instead, when she finished in the bathroom and crossed the hall, she was met with the sight of Cheryl struggling to reach the zipper on the back of her dress.

All her nerves melted away in that brief moment as she couldn’t help but chuckle in amusement at the way the redhead’s face scrunched up in determination, her tongue sticking out from the side of her lips. “Do you need some help?” her voice was peppered with laughter as she crossed the room.

“Yes, I need some help,” Cheryl repeated back to her, still struggling to reach the zipper. 

Toni didn’t think it was possible for nerves to come back as quickly as they went away, but she was proven wrong as she stepped behind the slightly taller girl and slowly started to pull the zipper of her red dress down, exposing the smooth, pastel skin of her back.

_God, Toni, it’s just skin, get a hold of yourself._

Toni didn’t have an exact count of how many girls she’d slept with, but she’d thought that she had slept with enough to not be fazed by the sight of bare _fucking_ skin anymore. But apparently not, since her mouth went dry as Cheryl’s dress slipped down to her ankles. And she could barely control the direction of her eyes when Cheryl turned around to grab the shirt that was laid out on the bed. 

“Thank you, Toni,” she smiled, unaware of how the shorter girl was frozen in place. 

_Get a grip! Just go to bed!_

After gaining control of her legs again, Toni just turned around and crawled into bed, plugging her phone in as she lay stiff on the edge. She scrolled through Instagram in an attempt to distract herself, but soon enough, the weight of Cheryl’s body sinking into the mattress right beside her.

“Shit, hang on,” Toni got up, remembering that Cheryl still had some makeup on her face. Thankfully her short journey to the bathroom for a makeup wipe gave her at least a few moments of privacy to calm herself down. She didn’t know what it was about Cheryl that was making her act like some kind of middle schooler with a stupid crush. 

_Get it together, Toni. It’s just Cheryl._

With a huff of determination, the pinkette turned on her heel to go back to her dimly lit bedroom where Cheryl was sitting on the bed, fiddling with the ends of her hair nervously. 

“Uh, here,” she approached the bed, handing her the face wipe before climbing back under the covers on her side. 

“What is this?” the redhead’s voice was timid and low as she looked up at the older girl.

“It’s a wipe for your face,” she explained as she got under the covers, sitting up against the headboard, “It’s to take your makeup off.”

Cheryl just stared blankly between the wipe in her hand and Toni’s face, unsure of what to do. 

“Here,” Toni sighed, taking the wipe from her and gently starting to clear the powder blush from her cheeks. “Close your eyes,” she instructed gently and waited for her to do as she said before wiping the pink tint from her eyelids. Biting her lip as she finished, Toni pulled the stained wipe back slowly, watching as Cheryl kept her eyes closed. She took in the little details that she had never noticed before, like the crease that appeared between her eyebrows when her eyes were tightly shut, the dip above her cupid’s bow and the full, perpetually pouted lips below it. A shiver ran down her spine as she remembered how soft those lips were. And _fuck_ she wanted to feel them again. 

But she couldn’t. 

“You can open your eyes,” she cleared her throat awkwardly, holding the wipe up for Cheryl to see. The girl reached out, taking the pink tinted wipe in her pale fingers and inspecting it curiously before her eyes met Toni’s again. The older girl found herself locked in a trance once more, unable to pull her gaze from the dark brown orbs that stared back at her. But as Cheryl seemed to lean in closer, Toni managed to pull her gaze away and turn her head, taking the wipe back to throw in the tiny trash can by her bed. 

“We should get some sleep. Betty has to leave early in the morning,” she mumbled, turning away from Cheryl and turning off the lamp on her nightstand before settling into her pillow, “Night.” 

She felt the weight of Cheryl beside her, moving the mattress as she out comfortable. A jolt of electricity shot through her body with the mere brush of a foot against hers. How the hell was she supposed to sleep like this? How was she supposed to get through the weekend alone with Cheryl all the time? What was sh-

“Toni?”

“Yeah?” she answered a bit too hastily. 

“You are upset. Why are you upset?” Cheryl asked quietly in the dark room. And Toni didn’t even need to turn around to know that she was staring at her. She could feel her gaze tingling on the back of her neck. 

“What makes you think I’m upset?” she turned around slowly so she was facing the redhead. Even in the dark room, she could see the worry in Cheryl’s eyes.

“You are acting strangely. You have acted strangely all night,” the girl was blunt, but still timid in her voice. 

Toni just bit her lip, wondering if it would make any different to just _talk_ to her about how she feels. “Well...you kissed me,” she whispered, nerves making her voice shake a little.

“Yes I did.”

“I’m just not sure how to feel about it, I guess...Why did you do it?”

“Because I wanted to kiss you. You said that a first kiss should be with a person that I really like who really likes me back,” Cheryl said pointedly, not understanding.

“I didn’t...I didn’t mean me,” a hot blush came up on Toni’s cheeks.

“You do not really like me back?” 

That caught Toni off guard. How was she supposed to answer that? It’s like Cheryl had her cornered. She might as well have been torturing her for information. “I-I didn’t say that. But-“

“I liked kissing you, Toni. I am happy you were my first kiss,” the redhead smiled contently, the worry disappearing from her eyes as the soft smile took over.

Toni couldn’t help but smile, unable to even stop herself. There was just something about Cheryl that she couldn’t put her finger on. But any time that she smiled or laughed, Toni felt the need to do the same. 

“Yeah...me too,” she muttered quietly, the blush on her cheeks tingling even more at her confession, “But it can’t happen again.”

As she expected, Cheryl let out a quiet “why” into the dark after a few moments of silence. And even though Toni expected it, she hadn’t prepared an answer. 

“Because, Cher...I don’t know you. You just kind of...dropped in one day. Yeah, we’re friends and we have a good time together, but...you don’t even know your last name, or where you’re from. I feel like we need to figure _you_ out before anything else...Okay?”

She can see the dark brown eyes just staring back at her and the pouty lips Toni’s still holding herself back from remain unmoving as her question goes unanswered. Instead, Cheryl swallowed thickly and brings her hand up to clutch the locket around her neck nervously, twiddling the golden pendant between her fingers as she seemed to be lost in thought. 

“Let’s just go to sleep,” Toni sighed, watching Cheryl turn away so her back was facing her. And for some reason, it felt like a knife through Toni’s heart. This was what she wanted, wasn’t it? For Cheryl to drop it and move on?

So why did she feel so shitty about it?

**xxx**

Stirring awake, Toni blinked her tired eyes open in the dark room, only shadows from the orange streetlights reflecting on the ceiling above her. She rubbed her eyes with one hand and reached for her phone with the other, squinting at the bright light to check the time.

 _3:24 AM_

She dropped her head back onto the pillow with a quiet groan, trying not to wake Cheryl up. But after turning over into a more comfortable position, she saw the empty space where the redhead was supposed to be. Her eyebrows knit together in confusion as she sat up and looked around. The door that she normally kept closed at night was wide open, but the light from the bathroom across the hall wasn’t on. 

Stretching her legs, Toni placed her feet on the floor and stood up slowly, tip-toeing to the door. Cheryl had to be around here somewhere. 

“I do not understand,” the redhead’s familiar voice reached her ears from down the hall. It was still dark throughout the apartment, which only confused her more. 

“Toni’s stubborn, Cheryl. She has been for as long as I’ve known her,” Betty’s hushed voice joined in as Toni crept down the hall to listen. “She’s had a pretty rough past and she’s not the type of person who develops romantic feelings for people. I know she likes you back, I can tell.”

“You can?”

“Yeah. I’ve never seen her look at anyone the way she looks at you. But...” Betty trailed off. Toni felt like her heart was beating loud enough for them to be able to hear in her moment of silence, “But she doesn’t know you. She’s not used to liking _anyone_ and now she’s falling for a mysterious stranger. She’s probably just really confused.”

The pink haired girl bit her lip. Part of her was glad that Betty understood her so well and was able to explain her feelings to Cheryl for her. But at the same time, she was kicking herself mentally for not being able to tell her herself.

“Just be honest with her, Cheryl. Whatever your reason is for being here and coming to look for her, just...tell her. It’s not fair to keep her in the dark.”

“I can turn on the light,” Cheryl’s blissfully ignorant response had Toni biting back an amused laugh.

“Not like that,” Betty chuckled quietly, “I mean, it’s not fair to keep secrets from her. She’s only trying to help you. But she can’t do that unless you’re honest with her. You showed up into her life unexpectedly and she needs answers. I mean, if she showed up to wherever you came from, wouldn’t you want to know who she was and why she was there?”

Toni listened for a response, but got nothing, leaving her wondering if Cheryl had responded to Betty at all.

“Just think about it, okay? I know it’s scary, but she deserves the truth, don’t you think? Especially after all she’s done for you?” 

“Yes. Toni deserves good things like happiness and cherries,” Cheryl whispered as Toni felt the butterflies in her stomach start flying around faster.

“Yeah, she does,” she could hear the smile in Betty’s voice, “You should go back to bed. It’s late, and I’ve got an early drive to make back to Riverdale in the morning.”

Toni silently scurried back to her room, resuming her place under the covers and closing her eyes. It wasn’t much later that she felt Cheryl climb in behind her and get comfortable. The hair on the back of her neck stood up again as she felt her eyes on her and she just prayed that she couldn’t hear how heavily her heart was thumping in her chest. 

But whether she heard it or not, Cheryl didn’t make any kind of effort to disturb her. Instead, she shifted behind her on the mattress, and eventually both girls fell back asleep in the dark silence.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp. Things are happening.

“Good luck, Betty,” Cheryl waved, less animatedly than she would normally. She had been uncharacteristically quiet all morning. Toni knew it had to have something to do with the conversation she had overheard between the two a few hours ago. As much as she wanted Cheryl to be honest with her, she didn’t want to push her. She just wished she knew why Cheryl was being so secretive. 

After the door was closed and locked again, Toni cleared her throat and looked at the younger girl, nothing but tense and awkward silence between them.

“I’m, uh...gonna go shower. I don’t really have anything planned for today, so you can go back to bed if you’re still tired,” she muttered quietly. But Cheryl just nodded, keeping her eyes glued to the floor as she fiddled with the gold pendant around her neck nervously. 

Toni wanted to ask if she was okay. She wanted to tell her that she heard her and Betty talking last night and that Cheryl had nothing to be afraid of. But every time she opened her mouth to say just that, the words got caught in her throat, and nothing but silence came from her lips. So with a defeated sigh, Toni brushed past her and closed herself into the bathroom. She could try again later. But she wished that Cheryl would make it easy on her and come to her first.

She had always done some of her best thinking in the shower. So as the water cascaded down her back and through her long pink hair, Toni waited for an idea to come to her. At this point, she would take anything. Any kind of guidance on how to talk to Cheryl. She didn’t want the girl to be afraid to talk to her. 

Admittedly, at first, she was just looking to send Cheryl away, needing to know where she was from so she could do just that. And now, she just wanted answers to get to know her better. It was strange, feeling herself fall so hard and so fast for a person like Cheryl. A person who didn’t seem to understand _anything_ without it being explained to her first. Cheryl was a fully grown woman, but acted as if she was just seeing the world for the first time. Toni could understand a person never having ice cream. She could even somehow understand how a person would have never worn shoes or watched TV before. But the first time she saw Cheryl cry, the redhead acted as if she had never cried before in her life. How was _that_ possible?

She was an puzzle that Toni was determined to solve. 

She hoped Cheryl wasn’t in some kind of danger. She’d seen enough crime shows to know what some sick fucks in this world do. God forbid Cheryl was some brainwashed hostage who ran away from her kidnapper. Even if she was, how did Toni become involved? Why was she looking for her?

Maybe she was her long lost half-sister from her dad’s side. Biologically, she doubted her tan-skinned mother would have given brith to a pale redhead. But her parents had been together and madly in love since high school. Chances were thin that her dad had cheated on her mom. Even if that was the case, it didn’t explain why Cheryl was the way she was. 

Toni ran through a million possibilities in her head as she rinsed the conditioner from her hair. Brain damage, mental illness, nothing seemed to add up one hundred percent. And her head was starting to hurt from thinking so hard. Maybe it was better if she just let Cheryl come to her first. 

The water started to run cold, making her realize just how long she’d been in the shower. And after turning the knobs on the wall, Toni stepped out, drying herself off as she tried to come up with a plan. Or at least something to say to Cheryl so they didn’t spend the day in awkward silence. 

She tied her damp hair up into a lazy bun after combing it out and put on the black leggings and long t-shirt she had laid out for herself on the counter beside the sink. 

_You can do this. It’s just Cheryl. What’s the worst that could happen?_

She stared at herself in the foggy mirror, taking a few deep breaths before opening the door and making a beeline for the living room. Normally, she would expect to see Cheryl splayed out comfortably on the couch, eating cherries off her fingertips with her eyes glued to the TV. But the living room was just the same as she’d last seen it. 

Thinking she’d actually gone back to bed like she had offered, Toni padded back down the hall to her bedroom, peeking in to find the bed empty as well. Not a single peep could be heard anywhere to let her know that Cheryl was around the apartment somewhere. She tried not to panic as she checked her closet, the balcony, the kitchen, even Veronica’s room. Cheryl was nowhere to be found. 

“Cheryl, this isn’t funny,” she called out into the empty apartment, checking her bedroom once more. She knelt down on the floor to check under the bed, desperate at this point to find her. But when she found nothing but storage totes and a few dust bunnies, she straightened back up and looked around. 

As she stood back up onto her feet, a shimmer of gold caught her eye before her heart dropped to her stomach. 

Cheryl’s locket.

It was laid neatly on her pillow, the heart-shaped pendant open and on display. Toni thought her heart couldn’t have sunken farther into the pit of her gut until she saw a photo of herself inside, no older than two years old, showing off her baby teeth with a cheesy smile. 

It was her mother’s. It was the same locket that never left her mother’s neck until the day she died. After which, it never left her father’s. Why did Cheryl have it? And how did she get it? Her dad had been wearing it that fateful day at sea. Maybe it had washed up on shore and Cheryl was trying to return it to her. But how would she know who she was just from her baby picture? It still didn’t explain why she acted the way she did. 

She needed answers. She needed to find Cheryl. 

Throwing on a pair of shoes, she noticed the flip flops that usually sat by the door were gone and the deadbolt was unlocked. 

She left. 

The naive little redhead was out there somewhere, lost and alone in the city. She could be _anywhere_. The thought alone made Toni sick to her stomach as she grabbed her keys, leaving the apartment with haste. She didn’t have time for the elevator. She dove down the stairs as fast as she could go, nearly knocking out one of her neighbors as she pushed open the door to the sidewalk. 

She stood on the stoop, already breathless as she looked around desperately. Where could she have gone? Where _would_ she have gone? She asked around, begging strangers she passed by if they had seen the girl in the photo she was holding up on her phone. She had taken it just a few days ago after getting Cheryl her first ice cream cone. The vendor didn’t have cherry, so she settled for a strawberry cone, thinking it would be the next best thing. 

But she didn’t have time to even smile at the fond memory. She needed to find her. 

No one in this goddamn city was any help at all. She asked nearly every person she could find on the way down the street to the corner store. The cashier _at_ the corner store hadn’t seen her, nor had any of the customers. 

How the hell had no one seen her?

**xxx**

Nothing.

She’d been searching for _hours_. After bothering all her neighbors, Toni had taken the subway up to her office, hoping that Cheryl would be there, not that she had any reason to be. But just as she suspected, the office was locked and empty. She rode the train to Times Square, trying to hold onto hope that she would find Cheryl running through the revolving doors or pressing her face against the aquarium glass in the lobby of _Le Chalet_. But the hostess at the podium said she hadn’t seen anyone who matched the description Toni had given her.

She was starting to lose hope. Not only that, but a knot of guilt was starting to form in her gut. This was what she wanted, wasn’t it? She wanted Cheryl gone and out of her hair. She wasn’t her problem anymore. And now Toni could go back to the boring life she lead before where every day was the same and nothing interesting ever happened. 

But Toni didn’t want that. Not anymore. She wanted Cheryl. She wanted to sit on the couch with her and watch the same nature documentary over and over. She wanted to make a mess of her kitchen with pancake batter that the redhead would stir too fast. She wanted to be embarrassed by silly comments made to strangers on the sidewalk. She wanted to hear her singing from behind the bathroom door while she made a mess of water on the walls and tile.

_Singing._

Why hadn’t she thought about that before? Of all places, how could she forget to check the park? She pushed past people on the sidewalk, and cut lines at the subway station. She just wished there was a way to make the train go faster. At this rate, she was probably better off taking a cab or driving herself. Hell, she’d rent a city bike if she had to. 

She approached the entrance of the park breathlessly, clinging to the last shreds of hope that she had that Cheryl would be somewhere within the gates. She just had to be. Jogging down the paths, she looked around, desperately seeking the head of fiery red hair and asking people if they’d seen her. 

Desperate, she approached an ice cream vendor across the grass, stopping him in his tracks as he was peddling his cart down the path.

“Hey! Hey, have you seen this girl? Red hair, maybe about this tall,” she held a hand up as she showed him the picture on her phone, “Please tell me you’ve seen her, I’ve been looking for hours and I-“

“I’ve seen her,” he cut in with a nod, “Gave her a free cone to cheer her up. She looked pretty down.”

“Which way did she go?” Toni’s eyes widened as she pocketed her phone hastily, following his finger as he pointed down the path he had been coming from.

“Down that way, headed towards the fountain.”

“Thank you, thank you so much,” she was already running in that direction, calling back to him with a wave of her hand.

After dodging people and nearly tripping over a dog leash, Toni felt like she was ready to throw up by the time she reached the large fountain in the center of the paved roundabout path. But it made it all worth it when she spotted Cheryl across the way, sitting on the edge of the pool with a melting ice cream cone in her hand, and the bag Toni had packed for her on her back. 

“Cheryl!” she called out unaware of the tears that had been forming in her eyes until they blurred her vision on her brisk walk toward the redhead.

“T-Ton-“ Cheryl barely got out before the pink haired girl had pulled her into a bone-crushing hug, knocking the wind out of her and the ice cream cone out of her hand. But she returned the hug just as tightly, her body trembling with sobs that were muffled by Toni’s neck and shoulder. 

“Why did you leave? I was so worried about you,” Toni gripped the back of Cheryl’s t-shirt, not caring that melted strawberry ice cream was getting on the back of her own. 

“I-I am sorry, T-Toni, I was t-trying to go back to R-Riverdale, but-“ Cheryl’s cries and whimpers of despair cut her off as her tears clung to the fibers of Toni’s shirt.

“Shh, it’s okay. Why were you trying to leave? Did I do something wrong?” Toni’s voice shook as she attempted to pull back to look at her, but Cheryl wouldn’t let up on her tight grip. She wanted to ask about the locket, why she had it, where she found it. 

“N-no, but B-Betty said that-“ the redhead choked on another sob from the back of her throat, and struggled to catch her breath, “B-Betty said that...that I-I had to be honest with you a-and I c-cou-“ She was cut off again, but this time by Toni’s lips against hers, causing her to elicite a quiet squeak of both delight and surprise as she clung even tighter to her.

It wasn’t their first kiss, but it gave Toni all the warm and fuzzy feelings that came with a first kiss anyways. And she couldn’t help but wonder if every kiss with Cheryl would feel the same way, like every kiss was the first. Maybe it was the adrenaline, or maybe it was dehydration from running around all morning, but the pink haired girl swore she saw stars when she opened her eyes after pulling back.

“I-I thought that us kissing could not happen again,” Cheryl whispered, staring back at her with confused eyes as she reminded Toni of what she had said the night before. 

Toni just bit her lip, unsure of what to say. She _did_ say that to her just last night. Cheryl was confused enough about life already, and now Toni was complicating things even further. But the older girl was starting to think that things didn’t have to be as complicated as she claimed they were. 

“Let’s just talk about it when we get home okay?” she whispered back, tucking loose red hair behind Cheryl’s ear and rubbing her arm soothingly. 

“Home with Toni?” she sniffled, her pink bottom lip wobbling pitifully. 

Her question tugged at Toni’s heartstrings. Since she graduated high school, she had changed so much. She was careful, she was a planner. She didn’t like to lose control anymore. She wasn’t any _fun_ anymore. But having Cheryl around was changing that. She was learning that she didn’t have to be in control of every little thing, and that was okay. She could be careful and carefree at the same time. And she wouldn’t have realized that if it hadn’t been for the sniffling girl in front of her. 

“Yeah, home with me. Come on,” she pulled out of her arms and took her hand, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. She had no idea what she had taken with her, but she could hear the clinking of a few glass jars of cherries as they walked hand in hand out of the park. 

Aside from Cheryl’s sniffling and sporadic whimpers, the journey back to the apartment was quiet between them. The hustle and bustle of the city seemed like a time lapse around them as they moved slowly down the sidewalk. Toni kept a tight but comforting hold on her hand the whole way, rubbing her arm as they sat on the train. She was surprised at herself that she didn’t feel a bit of anger. All she felt was relief that Cheryl was safe. The redhead was really making her go soft. 

Once they reached the stop closest to the apartment complex, Toni helped Cheryl to her feet and guided her out to the station and soon enough, back up to the street. It was about a five minute walk, but Toni wasn’t in any rush. Not even when she felt a few cold droplets from the sky on her arm. But Cheryl, who she felt starting to tremble beside her, thought otherwise. And before Toni knew it, the younger girl had taken off down the sidewalk, running faster than she had ever seen.

“Cheryl!” Toni called after her, starting to run as well. Both flip flops had fallen off on the way, and Toni made no effort to pick them up. They were a cheap pair anyways. “Cheryl, wait!” she called breathlessly, trying not to let the glass jars in he backpack break while she ran. She watched as Cheryl zoomed into the apartment building just as one of her neighbors was opening the door to leave. What the hell had gotten into her? It wasn’t even raining that hard. 

As Toni approached the stoop, she apologized to her neighbor and let herself into the building, hoping that Cheryl had stopped running once she was inside. But once she was in the lobby, she caught the eyes of the terrified looking redhead for a brief second before the elevator doors separated them. “Shit,” she mumbled, running for the stairwell down the hall. She climbed the steps two at a time, surprisingly not tripping even once the whole way up. She thought that she would have caught Cheryl at the door, but when she breathlessly approached her apartment, she was shocked to find the door already open.

_How did she get in? She didn’t have a key._

“Fuck,” she muttered to herself. She must have forgotten to lock it when she left in such a hurry earlier. But instead of checking that they hadn’t been robbed when she got inside, she looked around for Cheryl, calling out for her like she had been this morning. 

“Cheryl, what’s wrong?” she called loud enough to be heard from anywhere in the apartment, getting nothing in return but the sound of crying and things falling to the floor coming from the bathroom. At this point, she was too worried to care about privacy or boundaries. She needed to make sure that Cheryl was okay. “Cheryl, I’m coming in!” she warned, already turning the knob.

“Please do not come in!“ Cheryl called back frantically, but Toni had already barged into the room.

“Cheryl, what-“ she started. But her eyes traveled from the horrified brown eyes of the redhead on the floor, down to the towel she was using to dry off her shiny, iridescent...tail.

“Toni...”

The pink haired girl could hear her voice on Cheryl lips, but the room around her started to fade away before suddenly she couldn’t see or hear anything, and all she could feel was her head hitting the cool white tile.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahh the truth comes out. enjoy!

With a fuzzy brain and the feeling of slender fingers scratching gently at her scalp, Toni started to come to. Slowly blinking her eyes open, she was immediately met with harsh white light glowing like a halo behind Cheryl, who was hovering over her with concern written all over her face.

“Are you all right, Toni?” her voice was soft and gentle as her fingertips continued their massage under her pink hair. 

“Yeah...I had the craziest dream,” Toni mumbled, reaching up to rub her forehead, “You had run away and I found you and brought you back, you had a-“ she paused, glancing around at her surroundings. But the feeling of the cold bathroom tile beneath her and the look of guilt etched all over Cheryl’s features made her stomach turn as she sat up slowly. “It wasn’t a dream, was it?” she muttered, unsure if her dizziness was from her head hitting the floor or from the shock of discovering that Cheryl was a mermaid. A living, breathing, straight out of a fairytale, _mermaid_. 

“It was not a dream,” the redhead’s voice was soft and full of shame as she ducked her head.

“So you’re a...you’re a...,” she breathed out, struggling for air as her shoulders rose and fell. She couldn’t even get the word to leave her mouth.

_Mermaid! M-E-R-M-A-I-D! Mermaid! With a tail! Lives in the ocean! Mermaid!_

“I am sorry, Toni, I did not want you to find out like this. I wanted to tell you-“

“When...were you planning on telling me, Cheryl?” The pink haired girl cut her off, her eyes casting down to the smooth pale legs that took the place of the iridescent tail that she saw not too long ago. 

“I-I...” tears brimmed in her eyes as she tried to think of an answer, “I do not know. I was just supposed to return the locket-“

“That was my _mother’s_ locket! Why do you have it and where did you get it?!” her voice was raising with each word as she ignored the tears falling down Cheryl’s flushed cheeks. Of all the things the redhead had done over the past week, this was the most unbelievable. And she’d done a lot of shit. “Wait...were you the one who...when I was six...was that you?”

The younger girl just nodded slowly, not meeting her eyes, “It was me.”

“This is unbelievable,” Toni placed a hand on her throbbing forehead, trying to wrap her mind around all of this. Not only was Cheryl a fucking _mermaid_ , but she just so happened to be the same mermaid that Toni had convinced herself was just a hallucination. After years of uncertainty and being called crazy by her uncle, she had finally accepted that she was just an imaginative little kid who just swallowed too much sea water. And now here she was, sitting on her bathroom floor with the mermaid who saved her life. “This is a joke, right? This has to be a joke,” Toni shook her head incredulously, “Look, I don’t know what Jughead told you, but if this is some kind of cruel prank, it’s not funny. And I’m gonna kick his ass next time I see him.”

Cheryl wiped at her eyes with a pitiful sniffle, “Please, Toni, I do not want you to be upset. I did not want you to find out this way.” 

Scoffing, Toni got up from her spot on the floor, ignoring the dizziness and pain she felt in her head. “It’s a little late for that, Cheryl! Do you really expect me to just sit here and be okay with this? I’ve been letting a fucking mermaid sleep in my apartment for the past week, and you think I can just shrug my shoulders and be okay with it?” 

“Toni-“ the flushed redhead stood up slowly, but Toni cut her off once more.

“No. I don’t...I can’t do this, right now, okay? I need to clear my head or something,” she shook her head and left the bathroom.

“Wait, where are you going?” she heard the frantic voice and scurrying of feet on the hardwood behind her before her hand was taken firmly between Cheryl’s.

“I just need some time to think, Cheryl,” the name felt almost foreign on her tongue. She knew that wasn’t her real name. Who knows what’s her real name even was. She doubted that mermaids had normal names.

_Now’s not the time to be brainstorming mermaid names, Toni._

“Just...stay here. I’ll be back.”

“When?”

“I don’t know, Cheryl, just...I don’t know,” Toni shook her head, feeling her chest constricting as she grabbed her keys and left the apartment.

**xxx**

It had been about three hours since Toni had stormed out of her apartment. The second her feet hit the sidewalk outside her building, she hunched over the nearest trash can, the contents of her stomach threatening to spill from the initial shock. How could Cheryl be a mermaid? Mermaids weren’t real. She’d spent the last thirteen years convincing herself of that. And now everything she knew was out the window, and there was a mermaid sitting in her apartment.

It had to be a joke. Jughead was mature for his age, but he still had the tendency to be a prankster. But he wouldn’t go this far, would he? Joking about something she had been so insecure about for so long? And Cheryl. Cheryl looked so guilty and sincere. Like her heart was breaking over the fact that Toni had found out. No one can be _that_ good of an actress.

But that meant that she was _real_. She was real and she was telling the truth. The redhead who stumbled into her life was the mermaid that saved her life thirteen years ago. And now she was the mermaid that was stealing her heart. 

_Way to go, Toni. The only person you’ve ever really fallen for, and she’s a fucking fish._

She couldn’t help but laugh to herself as she made her way up the sidewalk, twirling her keychain around her finger as she stayed lost in thought. Did this really change how she felt about her? It had to. Toni didn’t mind dating someone older, or of a different race or religion. But this was _entirely_ different. Cheryl wasn’t even the same species as she was. She couldn’t still like her

_Whether she had legs or a tail, Toni, she’s been a mermaid all this time. You fell for a mermaid._

It did explain a lot. Like why Cheryl had never cried before, or had ice cream. And how she didn’t know the names of anything or how to speak English until it was said to her first. And that _screeching_ noise that she let out yesterday. Cheryl had always seemed odd since Toni first met her, but this was a whole other level. But at least now she had an explanation. Or part of one. She had so many questions still, and all Cheryl had told her was that she was supposed to return the locket to her. 

Maybe it was better if Toni put her feelings on the back burner. She needed answers more than she needed anything, right now. She shouldn’t have feelings for Cheryl anyways, not with her having a tail and all. 

With a sigh, Toni pulled open the door to her usual corner store, giving a slight wave and a smile to the owner as she walked in. 

“Just got a new shipment of those maraschino cherries for your friend, Toni,” he chimed with a warm grin under his mustache. 

“Thanks, Jim. I’m not sure how much more I’ll be buying from now on,” she sighed, leaning against the counter opposite him.

“Somethin’ happen to your friend?”

“It’s just...complicated,” she shook her head, unsure of how else to answer. 

“Take it from me, nothin’s as complicated as it seems,” the older man pat her arm gently, “How bad can it be?”

“No offense, Jim, but I don’t think you’ve ever been in the situation I’m in right now,” she chuckled.

“Maybe not, but I’ve been in my fair share of predicaments,” he shrugged, “And not one of them has turned out to be as complicated as I was making’em out to be.”

“This isn’t a...normal situation with her. But I know what you’re saying, I’ll figure something out.”

“Just think of it this way. Is your friend worth trying to work through whatever the complication is?”

Biting her lip, Toni glanced down at the counter as her mind filled with all the things she’d learned about Cheryl, all the things they’d done together, and all the conversations they’d had over the past week. They were all things that she lived without before Cheryl came along, but they weren’t things she wanted to live without anymore. She didn’t want her life to go back to the dull shade of grey it was before. Not when she had experienced the vibrant shades of red that Cheryl had brought along. Was she willing to give up their friendship just because Cheryl was a mermaid? All she ever wanted as a kid to be friends with a mermaid. Maybe she couldn’t be with Cheryl in the way that she wanted to, but she didn’t want to lose her completely.

“Yeah. Yeah, she is,” she nodded, looking back up at the middle-aged man with a relieved smile. 

Jim nodded his head and pat her arm again, “Go talk to her, I’m sure whatever it is, you can talk to her about it. That’s what friends do, right? They talk out their issues and make it work.”

Toni nodded her head and thanked him quietly before pushing herself off the counter and going down the aisle that she had become a little too familiar with lately. She could probably find the maraschino cherries in her sleep at this point. 

After picking up two jars and checking out with Jim at the counter, she waved goodbye and nearly sprinted back to her apartment building. He was right. Cheryl, even if she was just a friend, was worth everything to Toni. She was still her friend, and she couldn’t just abandon her. Not to mention, the girl _had_ saved her life once. So, she kind of owed her, right?

Opening the door to the building, she balanced the brown bag on her arm and rode the elevator up to the fifth floor, unlocking her apartment door eagerly.

“Cheryl?” she called out, glancing around. 

“She left,” Veronica’s voice came from down the hall before she appeared at the edge of the living room.

“What do you mean she left? I told her to stay here. Where did she go?” Toni set the bag down on the table, looking at Veronica worriedly. 

“I got home maybe two hours ago, and she was here alone, sitting on the couch looking like a kicked puppy. And when I asked her what was up, she just said she had to go back to Riverdale, so-“

“So you sent her away?” Toni’s eyes widened.

“I let her take one of Daddy’s town cars. Toni, you’ve been trying to get rid of her all week. I was doing you a favor. You’re too nice for your own good sometimes. We both know that the only reason you were letting her stay was because you’d feel guilty sending her out on her own. So I did it for you. You’re welcome,” Veronica smiled with a roll of her eyes. 

“Ronnie, I needed her to stay here! She has-“ Toni cut herself off, trying to think of what to say, “She just...she has to stay here. You don’t understand.”

“Toni,” the raven haired girl walked over and placed her hands on Toni’s shoulders, “It’s fine. She’ll be fine. She’s going back to where she came from. When she gets there, she’ll be someone else’s problem. You’re free to live your life again.”

“You don’t get it, Veronica,” she gritted through her teeth and shoved her hands off her shoulders.

“It’s already done, Toni. What are you gonna do, chase after her? She’s probably already there by now.”

Toni just breathed an incredulous laugh, “I can’t believe you,” she shook her head, pulling out her phone. She was about to pull up Betty’s number but the device started to vibrate in her hands with a picture of herself and the blonde coming up on the screen before she could even bring up her contacts. “Hey, Betts, listen-“ she started, turning away from her roommate as she answered the phone. 

_“Toni, Cheryl’s here with me at Pop’s and she seems really upset. What happened?”_ Betty’s curious, gentle voice cut her off from the other end.

“Is she okay?” her heart clenched.

_“Like I said, she’s pretty upset. Did you two get into a fight or something? The only thing she’ll tell me is that you didn’t want her there with you in New York anymore.”_

“No, no, we didn’t...I mean, it wasn’t a _fight_ , but I left for a few hours to think and when I came back she was gone,” Toni could feel her eyes starting to brim with tears of frustration. If only she had just stayed and talked to Cheryl when she found out the truth, none of this would have happened. But with her short temper, who knows what she would have ended up saying if she had stayed. Either way, she would probably end up mentally kicking herself like she was now. 

_“I don’t know what to do, Toni. She won’t say anything, she won’t eat anything, I even gave her a jar of cherries from the cooler and she won’t touch them.”_

“Shit,” Toni placed a hand on her forehead, “Can I talk to her?”

_”Cheryl, Toni’s on the phone, do you wanna talk to her?”_ she heard Betty ask, her voice faded and a bit distant. But all she could hear after that was the clinking of diner dishes and the faint sound of the jukebox in the background. _“I don’t think she wants to talk right now...”_ Betty sighed sympathetically. 

Pinching the bridge of her nose, the pink haired girl squeezed her eyes shut, thinking about how badly she fucked up this time. But she had to make it right. “Okay, just...please keep an eye on her. I’ll be there in about an hour.”

_“Do you want me to tell her?”_

“No, no, don’t tell her. Please,” she shook her head. Cheryl was already upset and thought she wanted nothing to do with her. Last thing Toni needed was for her to run off into the ocean, never to be seen again. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. Thanks, Betts.”

After hanging up, she took a moment to breathe before turning to face Veronica. “What did you say to her? She told Betty that I don’t want her here anymore! I never said _anything_ like that to her, so where did she get that idea from?”

“You may not have said it, Toni, but I was under the impression that you were trying to get rid of her! Christ, you made Betty drive all the way up here to pick her up because you didn’t have the guts to drive her back to Riverdale and drop her off, yourself! And you couldn’t even let _that_ happen because you’re too fucking nice!”

“So, what? You told her that I didn’t want her here anymore? I can’t believe you! You have no idea what she’s like, Veronica, you haven’t even _been_ here in the past week! You’ve been too busy looking down on her and calling her a crackhead to even bother getting to know her!”

“Look, I don’t know what she is to you, but whatever it is, it’s obvious that you’re letting your feelings for her get in the way of reality. You’ve barely brought anyone back here over the past year because you don’t do relationships. You don’t even allow hookups to stay the night. Now one random girl shows up and you’re willing to move out of here _just_ because I won’t let her stay?”

“I was planning on getting my own place like we agreed, so what the _fuck_ was the point in hurting her feelings and sending her back to Riverdale?” Toni snapped.

“Listen to yourself, Toni! How are you possibly taking her side in this when you’ve known her for like, a week? After everything I’ve done for you since we met?”

“I don’t owe you my loyalty with _everything_. Just because you let me come live here with you doesn’t mean I have to listen to you or agree with you on every little thing. I’m still my own person, and I’m still an adult who can make her own decisions.”

“I don’t know how things work in Riverdale, but in New York, we try not to bring in strangers off the street. This isn’t some Netflix rom-com, Toni! Normal people don’t just fall for psycho stalkers and expect to live happily ever after! I got rid of her _for you_! So that you could stop living out this crazy fantasy before you got yourself hurt!”

Ignoring her comment, Toni shook her head and took off down the hall. “You’re unbelievable, Veronica. Whether she comes back with me or not, my shit will be out of here by the end of the week,” she called down the hallway as she approached her bedroom. She wasn’t sure how long she would be gone for, but she packed some clothes for overnight into a backpack just in case. She spotted the gold locket on her pillow and picked it up. She considered placing it around her neck for safekeeping, but she just couldn’t bring herself to put it on. She just wasn’t ready. Before Cheryl, the only people who had worn it were her parents. All three people who had worn the necklace were people she cared deeply for, and she had a feeling that she wouldn’t be able to handle the emotion that came with putting it on. But she tucked it into her backpack to bring it with her and left her bedroom, practically stomping back to the living room.

“Toni, come on-“ her roommate started, watching as Toni grabbed her keys and wallet from the table. 

“I don’t wanna hear it, Veronica. I just...I can’t believe you told her that I didn’t want her here. What the hell did she ever do to you?”

Veronica was silent, a stony look on her face as her arms crossed over her chest. And Toni just hoped that Veronica wasn’t as heartless as she was making herself out to be right now. 

“Like I said, my stuff will be out of here by the end of the week,” the pink-haired girl’s shoulders stiffened as she walked to the door, letting herself out without even looking back.


	13. Chapter 13

The drive was only an hour. But it felt like so much longer. The worry and anticipation made the time just drag. That was something else that Toni noticed about Cheryl. When she was around, the time just seemed to fly. The redhead could probably make a traffic jam fun. But she was more than just a fun person to be around. Cheryl was special. She had a personality that you just don’t see in people anymore. Sure, she hadn’t been on land long enough to know what the real world was really like, and hadn’t been given enough time to let human life drag her down like the rest of the world. But she was just a breath of fresh air to Toni. 

Maybe she shouldn’t have been trying to get her to stay. She didn’t want to see Cheryl’s light and innocence get shattered. Especially by life in the city. As it was, Toni was amazed that the worst thing Cheryl witnessed in the week she was staying with her was a squirrel get hit and run over by a cab. And while she shrugged her shoulders and kept walking, Cheryl was nearly distraught to a point that Toni had to stop her from running out into traffic to save the squished animal. But that’s what Cheryl was like. She was selfless and caring, and that was a rarity _anywhere_. Toni didn’t want her to lose that, because it was impossible to get back. 

She pulled up to Pop’s, relieved that she had made it the whole way without a call from Betty saying that Cheryl disappeared. She’d have to do something nice for Betty soon as a thank you for putting up with everything this week.

Leaving her things in the passenger seat, Toni practically jumped out of the car, amazed that she remembered to close the door behind her before she approached the glass door of the cozy little diner. Everyone seemed aware of her presence with the jingling of the bells over the door. Everyone but the redhead curled up in the back corner booth. She was facing away from her, so all she could see was the back of her head and the tops of her shoulders over the booth, and it took everything Toni had in her to not run up and hug her. Instead she approached the table slowly after sending Betty a little wave, biting her bottom lip gently as she walked past Cheryl and slid into the booth across from her, folding her arms on top of the table. 

“You gotta stop running away from me,” she joked quietly, trying to lighten the already tense mood between them. But the look on Cheryl’s face nearly broke her in half. She looked shaken and tired, like she had been crying for hours and got no sleep, which very well could have been the case. She was normally such a chatterbox and now she had nothing to say. And that probably worried Toni more than anything. 

“Cher,” she sighed, reaching across the table to hold her hand out, willing her to take it with one of her own that were hidden under the table, “Please talk to me. What Veronica said to you about me not wanting you around...it’s not true. It took some getting used to, but I _love_ having you around. My life was so _boring_ before you showed up.”

Cheryl was quiet, looking down at Toni’s outstretched hand on the table as a fresh batch of tears brimmed in her eyes. “You are upset with me. I-I broke a promise. I left because I did not want to upset you anymore.”

“I’m not upset with you, Cheryl. Maybe I was at first, but when I walked out, I just needed time to think. I didn’t want to talk while I was upset cause...well, I have my uncle’s temper apparently,” she sighed. Despite her lack of blood relation to F.P., she unfortunately did inherit some of his negative traits. “I didn’t want to say anything that would hurt your feelings. That’s why I told you to stay in the apartment. So we could talk after I cooled off.”

“Cooled off?”

“Yeah...like, after I calmed down.” Cheryl was quiet as she stared down at the table after Toni retracted her empty hand. “But...Veronica...she doesn’t understand you. And she doesn’t understand what you mean to me, Cheryl.”

A tear slipped down the redhead’s cheek from her nearly blackened eyes. Cheryl’s eyes were always a deep shade of brown, but they lost their usual sparkle when she was sad. And Toni hated to see that. “...What promise did you break?” she asked hesitantly.

“I-I promised you that everything would be all right,” Cheryl whimpered, letting her tears fall to her lap.

“Everything _is_ all right, Cher.”

“It does not feel like everything is all right in here,” the redhead brought a hand up to press gently against her own chest through the old t-shirt she was still wearing from last night. 

“It’s fine. I promise. I’m not mad. I was just...in shock before. I may not have handled it well, but...it was a lot to take in at one time.”

“I was supposed to return the locket and go back home...” Cheryl bit her lip, more tears slipping down her cheeks as her chin quivered. 

“Where did you get the locket from?” Toni asked calmly, but still eager for an answer. But the younger girl just looked up at her, worried eyes glancing around the crowded diner. Now that she thought about it, it would probably be better if they didn’t talk about Cheryl being a mermaid with a bunch of people around. Whether they could hear or not. “If we go somewhere more private, will you tell me everything?”

She smiled as Cheryl nodded slowly. Sliding out of the booth, she helped Cheryl off the bench and hooked her backpack over her shoulder, inwardly chuckling at the sound of cherry jars clanking together inside. “You wanna take those with you?” She nodded towards the untouched jar of cherries that Betty had given her earlier. And after a feeble nod and light squeeze of her hand, Toni smiled and put the jar into the backpack Cheryl had brought with her. “C’mon,” she squeezed her hand back reassuringly, mouthing a ‘thank you’ to Betty, who was watching from nearby as they walked out the door.

**xxx**

Much like her drive from the city, the drive to the Jones’s house was short, physically, but felt like an eternity to Toni. She never wanted to go back to that house after she left. Even for Thanksgiving and Christmas, they all gathered at The Cooper’s. And she never thought that she would be back in front of the house she was parked in front of now.

“This is private?” Cheryl asked, breaking the silence with her meek, whisper of a voice.

“Yeah, this is um...this is where I used to live. It’s my uncle’s house.”

“You have your uncle’s temper,” Cheryl stated quietly, repeating what Toni had said before. 

“Yeah. Lucky me,” the pink haired girl chuckled nervously as she got out of the car, grabbing her bag and Cheryl’s from the backseat before meeting the girl around on the passenger side. 

“You lived here before you lived in New York,” the redhead stated and looked up at the admittedly worn-down house with a hint of a smile. 

“Yeah. I moved in with my uncle and his son after my dad died,” Toni’s chest tightened a bit. She wondered if talking about her parents would ever get any easier or less painful.

“You were very young.”

“Mmhm. About six,” she nodded, biting the inside of her cheek to try to stop the tears from forming in her eyes. She didn’t want to be here. It was taking everything she had in her to keep her eyes forward instead of letting them gravitate towards the house two mailboxes down. That was _her_ house. And she knew that if she looked at it and saw what some random strangers had done with it that she would start crying on the spot. So, maybe going inside was the better option.

With a deep breath, she lead Cheryl to the front door, unlocking it with the key hidden under the pot of dead flowers beside the door. She’d given up her own key as a final decision that she would never come back. Funny how things change. 

Toni ushered Cheryl inside, putting the key back in its place. And while her back was turned to lock the door behind her, she jumped nearly a foot in the air at the long, high pitched scream that came from the redhead. She turned around faster than she thought was physically possible, frantically following the younger girl’s line of sight. But Toni didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. With a scream like that, she expected to see a dead body laying on the floor. But all she could find was F.P. and Jughead’s typical living room. A worn out sofa and loveseat, a grandfather clock in the corner, trophy fish mounted all over the walls...

_Oh._

“Cheryl, hey, it’s okay,” Toni moved to stand in front of her, squeezing her upper arms in her gentle hands as she spoke just loud enough to be heard over her screaming. The redhead seemed to be frozen in fear, her eyes fixed on the large fish on the walls. “Cheryl, they’re not real.” She held back the chuckle that threatened to leave her lips. Technically, it was true. The fish on the walls weren’t the fish that were caught...but they were molded from the fish that were caught. But Cheryl didn’t need to know that. 

She was about to speak again, but a nearby grunt and the clocking of a gun sent her heart leaping from her chest again as she turned around to shield Cheryl. But when she saw her disheveled uncle with his familiar sunken eyes and scruffy beard, she relaxed her shoulders and rolled her eyes. “Jesus, really, F.P.? A gun?”

The middle-aged man ran his thumb across his chin, clearing his throat as he lowered the gun. “Well, I wasn’t expecting any visitors. Especially ones that scream at the top of their damn lungs. Sue me for trying to stay safe.”

“Okay, well, I don’t think an accidental murder charge is what you need right now,” Toni rolled her eyes again, looking back at the shaken redhead behind her while F.P. disappeared into the other room. “You okay?” she ran a gentle hand down Cheryl’s arm comfortingly, smiling when she nodded slightly. But the smile dropped from her face when F.P. came back, unarmed as he wiped his hands on his stained jeans. 

“Well, don’t just stand there, give your uncle a hug. It’s not like you’ve seen him in over a year, or call or write or anything to let him know you’re okay up there in the Big Apple,” he held an arm out welcomingly, though his tone and facial expression didn’t seem to match the action. Toni hesitated, taking a silent breath before closing the space between them and hugging him around the waist. She hadn’t hugged him in years. And after years of him drunkenly yelling at her, telling her that it was her fault that her father died, she knew that one single hug wasn’t going to change anything between them anytime soon. 

“It’s good to see ya, kid. Still got that Pepto Bismol hair, huh?” he chuckled, taking one of the loose strands of hair from her bun between his fingers. “You gonna introduce me to your friend?”

Toni looked back at Cheryl and nodded, stepping back from her uncle awkwardly. “This is Cheryl, Cheryl this is my uncle,” she sighed, gesturing between the two. 

“F.P. Jones,” the man extended his hand out politely, and Toni couldn’t help but stifle a laugh as Cheryl stared at his hand before extending her own towards him, simply mirroring his action instead of taking his hand in hers. “Uh...well, sorry the place is a mess. Like I said, I wasn’t expecting any visitors,” he put his hand down, placing it comfortably in his pocket.

“Yeah, um...Cheryl’s a friend of mine from the city. I just figured I would...show her around town. Is it okay if we stay here for the night?” Toni glanced between him and the redhead, wringing her fingers nervously. It shouldn’t be like this. She shouldn’t be worried about whether or not she would be allowed to stay with her own family. But her relationship with her uncle had been rocky, to say the least, over the past couple years. 

“You don’t have to ask to stay here, Ton. Your room’s right up there where you left it. It’s there whenever you need it,” F.P. gave her a half-hearted smile, gesturing to the stairs. “I got a meeting to get to,” he cleared his throat and scratched at his scruffy beard before looking at Cheryl, “Nice to meet you, Cheryl. Sorry if I scared ya, but to be fair, you scared the hell outta me first.” He chuckled and pat the new girl on the shoulder, brushing past them towards the garage door. “There’s leftover chicken that Alice made for us in the fridge. Help yourselves.”

“Thanks,” Toni muttered quietly, feeling guilt bubbling up in her stomach, “Congratulations...on your thirty day chip, F.P., that’s really great.” She offered him a bit of an awkward grin when he turned to face her, rubbing her arm uncomfortably.

“Thanks, kid. I appreciate that,” he gave her a small grin in return before disappearing through the mud room door. 

The girls stood in silence, Toni holding her breath until she heard his car leave the garage. She didn’t know what she expected to happen when she set foot in this house, but it wasn’t that. As awkward as it was, it went better than she expected.

“Sorry, that was...well, weird,” she shook her head, taking Cheryl’s hand again to lead her upstairs. 

“He is a nice man,” Cheryl commented with a smile.

“He hasn’t always been. But he’s getting better, I guess,” she sighed when they reached the second floor, guiding Cheryl down the hall to the last door on the left. “It’s not a lot. I took most of my stuff with me to New York, but a lot of what’s left here is stuff I didn’t need or old stuff from when I was a kid.” She pushed the door to the bedroom open, already overwhelmed by the memories, both good and bad. 

She watched Cheryl glance around, taking notice to the littlest details in her height etched into the doorframe to the small hole in the wall by her closet where she had thrown a tee-ball trophy out of pure anger when she was thirteen.

“Toni,” the redhead sighed, running her fingers over the scratches that were carved into the doorframe.

“So...no one’s around...Think you can explain everything to me now?” she crossed the room to sit cross-legged on the full-sized bed by the window after setting their bags down.

Cheryl just bit her lip, crawling onto the bed to sit across from her, “I-I do not know how to explain.”

“Well, why did you have my mom’s locket?” Toni asked carefully, her heart pounding against her rib cage.

“Your father...you and him had the same name,” Cheryl commented quietly.

Furrowing her brow, Toni just nodded her head, not really understanding. “Yeah, we both went by nicknames. I’m Toni with an ‘I’, he was Tony with a ‘Y’. His name was Anthony, mine is Antoinette...I was named after him.”

“I could not save him,” Cheryl’s eyes darkened with sadness again, tears already shining on the edges, “I was...too small. Not strong enough. But I did try. I tried very hard.”

Toni was silent as she swallowed the lump in her throat. She was getting the answers she wanted, but for some reason, all she wanted to do was to go back to a few days ago when she had decided to see Cheryl as a person instead of a mystery, putting her curiosity aside for one night so they could have fun. Blissfully ignorant for that one night. 

“He was wearing the locket that day,” she whispered, not taking her eyes off of Cheryl.

“It came off,” Cheryl gestured with her hands how the necklace had slipped off of Tony’s neck in the water. It had a picture of you inside, when you were very small. Even smaller than you were then. I knew it was very important to him, and I wanted to give it to you.”

“But why now? That was thirteen years ago, Cheryl,” Toni sighed, her eyes soft and sad.

“I was not allowed to come to the surface. We are not allowed near the surface until we are sixteen years old. And we are not allowed on land until we are eighteen years old.”

“How old were you the day of the accident?” 

“Five years old. I was...not being well-behaved that day. I had heard stories about humans, but had never seen one...and when I got the to surface...you were there. You needed help.”

Toni was sure that her heart was going to beat out of her chest. This was unbelievable. It all felt like a crazy fever dream. “So why did you wait until now to return the locket? Even if you weren’t allowed to come to the surface, you didn’t seem to let that stop you before.”

“I tried. You never came back. I waited for you, but you never came back in the water,” Cheryl whispered sadly.

Realization dawned on Toni’s face. She was right, she hadn’t set foot in the ocean since the day of the accident. No more than ankle-deep, anyways. She hadn’t ridden a boat or gone swimming in over a decade. So even if Cheryl _was_ allowed to come to the surface, how would she have given the locket back when Toni was always on land?

“Oh,” she breathed a bit shakily, “So...how did you find me? I mean, I haven’t lived in Riverdale in over a year. How did you find me in the city?”

“I...I do not know where to start,” Cheryl toyed with her own fingers nervously. 

Toni just glanced her over. This is what she wanted all week. She wanted, _needed_ , these answers. And now that she was finally getting them, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to hear them. Maybe it was because once she had her answers, she wasn’t sure what would become of Cheryl. After she got the whole story, would the redhead go back to where she came from? Would she stay? Would Toni _want_ her to stay? She hated all the uncertainty, but she needed the truth. She needed the whole story.

“Start from the beginning.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! This chapter is entirely Cheryl-based. It was hard to get into her headspace considering she doesn’t understand anything, but I hope it’s not as confusing as I think I made it. I guess y’all can be the judge of that.

_Stepping out onto the beach, the redhead had never felt so alive and free. She breathed in the salty night air of the beach, giggling a bit as the breeze sent a chill down her spine, causing her to shiver and break out in goosebumps. She rubbed up and down her arm amusedly. She never felt like that before. She had only been human for a few minutes, and it was already more exciting than she thought it would be!_

_Glancing ahead at the row of houses that lined the beach, she smiled at the sight of the sight of the one directly in front of her. A bit run down, with faded blue siding and a single boarded up window. Toni wasn’t there. Toni hadn’t been there in a long time. Last time she saw her was when the girl with pink hair was crying with her feet in the water. She remembered watching from under the nearby dock and wishing she could comfort her. She didn’t like to see Toni sad._

_The beach was dark and quiet. The moon was sitting high in the sky, providing her with just enough light to spot the clothesline coming from the blue house. Large shirts and other garments were hung on the line, blowing gently in the breeze. Toni wore clothes. And it seemed like everyone else did as well. Maybe she should do the same. She didn’t want to stand out and raise any suspicion. According to her father, just her being on land was dangerous enough._

_“Toni,” she sighed dreamily and reached up to clutch the gold locket around her neck, keeping herself focused on her goal and why she was here. Her father would be furious if he found out that she was even here. She wasn’t supposed to go on land, or even to the surface anymore. Not after what happened to her brother. But land was so **fascinating**! And humans...she had been curious about humans since the first time she heard about them as a child. But they couldn’t be the evil, vile creatures her father described them as. No one was beautiful as Toni could be evil._

_Stumbling a bit on her wobbly legs, the mermaid struggled to walk in the thick sand, shivering a little from the breeze as she made her way up the beach, tugging a grey t-shirt and a pair of boxers off the line. She sat down in the sand, struggling a bit to figure out how the clothes worked. And while they weren’t comfortable against her skin, she thought she’d blend in better this way. The less suspicion the better._

_Looking down at herself, she smiled proudly. She could pass as a human. She wore clothes! She had legs! Being human was easy!_

_“Toni,” she sighed again to herself, smiling as she popped the locket open. The woman in the picture wasn’t Toni, but it looked just like her. Toni was in the photo, but as a small child, smaller than when she had first seen her. Toni had changed a lot since the first time she saw her. From multiple fashion trends and hair styles. She just wondered if Toni would look the same now as when she saw her a year ago. But no matter what she looked like now, the redhead would think she was beautiful._

_Heading up the beach, she stepped carefully up the sandy steps of the back deck of the blue house, peering in windows and pressing face against the glass of the sliding back door._

_“Toni?”_

_It was dark inside. And quiet all over. The sound of waves crashing on the shore and the wind rustling the leaves in the trees was all she could hear. Pushing on the glass of the door, she frowned when she couldn’t get inside. The humans in that house would know where Toni was._

_Going back down the steps, she tried the other houses, pressing on the glass doors with no luck. After her fifth house down the line, she ventured out towards the front, glancing up and down the street. Her heart was pounding in her chest. Dare she step out any farther? She’d never been off the beach before. She’d sat on the rocks under the boardwalk, but she’d never been farther than this. But she had to find Toni. She’d search this whole town if she had to._

_With her chin held high, she stepped off the grass and onto the paved road, enjoying the warm feeling under her bare feet. It was much easier to walk on than the sand, though she was still a bit shaky on her legs. She could do this. She would find Toni, give back the locket she’d been holding for her, and then go back home before her father even noticed she was gone._

**xxx**

_Her voice was hoarse and her feet were tired. Maybe this wasn’t as easy as she thought. She coudln’t find Toni, and no one would help her. There weren’t many people around to get help from anyways. The sun was coming up, covering the little beach town in a warm shade of orange. Her vision was getting blurry as she tried to keep herself awake and walking. But though her fogged vision, she saw a red illuminated sign in the distance._

_“Toni,” she muttered, her voice barely there anymore. She’d said the girl’s name probably over a thousand times in the past few hours, and she was **so tired.**_

_She didn’t know how long it took her to approached the shiny red sign or the silver diner beneath it. But she found herself pressed against the glass door, whining when, just like the rest, it wouldn’t open._

_“You have to pull,” a man chuckled, startling her as she jumped back, “Don’t worry, it woudln’t have opened anyway. We’re not exactly open yet.”_

_“Toni,” she whispered, exhausted and desperate for the man to help her. She just wanted to find Toni and go back home. She couldn’t even remember the last time she was this tired._

_“Are you, uh...are you all right? Do you need me to call someone for you?” he asked, looking her up and down curiously as he unlocked the door, holding it open for her to go inside first._

_The redhead just stared at him instead of going inside, eyes drooping with exhaustion and her shoulders slumped as she whimpered out Toni’s name as best she could. She could barely keep her eyes open anymore._

_“Do they have a last name?” the dark-skinned man placed a gentle hand on her back to guide her into the diner, “I know quite a few Tonys.”_

_The mermaid stayed quiet, unsure of what he was saying or how to respond. Toni only had one name. She just glanced around the diner curiously. Not even the neon lights coming on around her could perk her up._

_“Why don’t you take a seat, I’ll get you some coffee. My head waitress should be here soon, I’ll see if she can help you out,” he gestured to one of the booths. But when the tired and clueless redhead just stared back at him, he chuckled and guided her to a booth in the back corner, helping her sit._

_She leaned against the wall beside the booth, her eyes closing as she curled up on the bench seat. She barely had time to let out a yawn before she was falling fast asleep. Maybe when she woke up, Toni would be here._

**xxx**

_“She sent me a text yesterday. I guess Juggie’s still sending her letters instead of using modern technology. I’m gonna see if he wants to go up and visit her sometime soon,” she heard a female voice as she started to wake up, blinking her eyes open._

_“How **is** Toni doing? Haven’t seen her around here in a while,” the same voice of the man she spoke to earlier chimed in. But the second she heard the name from his lips, the mermaid was awake and alert, perking up in the booth she had been hunched over in. _

_“She’s doing pretty good. Still working for that newspaper, trying to make it big as a photojournalist,” Betty smiled, wiping her hands on her apron._

_“Toni?” the girl in the booth piped up, standing up on wobbly legs, repeating the name over and over again as she approached the blonde waitress._

_“She’s awake,” Pop chuckled, coming out from the kitchen and approaching the counter, “Only thing she was saying earlier was ‘Toni’. Could be her.”_

_“Toni. Toni,” brown eyes filled with desperation bounced back and forth between the two people as she repeated the name over and over._

_“Are you looking for Toni Topaz? She used to live here, but she moved to the city last year,” Betty quirked an eyebrow at the redhead._

_“Looking for Toni,” she nodded her head eagerly, shuffling her bare feet against the cold floor._

_“Why don’t you go talk to her, Betty. Try to get some more info so we can help her out,” Pop patted the blonde on the shoulder._

_Nodding her head, Betty looked curiously back at the girl in front of her, curious and concerned. “What’s your name?”_

_Oh, she knew how to answer that. She had a beautiful name, too. She had always loved it. Without hesitation, the mermaid smiled and told the waitress her name, loud and proud as the shrill sound practically rattled the glass windows. But the way Betty and everyone else in the diner covered their ears and stared at her, the redhead got the feeling that not everyone thought her name was beautiful like she did. She looked around nervously, a little embarrassed about making a scene in front of the humans. She wasn’t supposed to make a spectacle of herself. But the girl had asked for her name._

_“Okay, um...let’s go sit down and we’ll talk a little. But you have to be more quiet, okay?” Betty looked at her strangely but held a finger up to her lips in a ‘shh’ing motion, which the new girl mimicked with a nod before following her to the table she had fallen asleep at before._

_Forgetting her little embarrassing moment, she smiled gleefully as she sat down across from Betty, watching with wide eyes as a tall pink milkshake was placed in front of her with a shiny red cherry on top._

_“On the house,” Pop Tate nodded with a warm smile, putting down a little basket of fries in front of her as well._

_The redhead smiled back, knowing that humans smiled when they were happy. She never saw Toni smile._

_“Hope you like cherry,” Betty chuckled slightly, shifting in her booth seat, “So you’re looking for Toni?”_

_“Looking for Toni,” the mermaid nodded eagerly, her eyes focused on the shiny red fruit sitting on top of the milkshake. It looked like a big red pearl, but she knew better than to eat pearls._

_“She used to live here, but she moved to the city. You’re talking about Toni Topaz, right? Pink hair, tan skin? Used to live in the blue house by the water?”_

_She had no idea what the blonde was saying, but she nodded anyways. “Toni,” she smiled, reaching up for the cherry curiously. She plucked it out of the whipped cream and placed it in her mouth. She had never had human food before, but it was delicious. She could probably eat a million of those little cherries._

_“Yeah, she lives a few hours away now. I can give you her address if you wanna go see her. Do you have a car? I feel like that would be an expensive Uber...” Betty trailed off, searching the redhead’s eyes. But she just stared blankly back at her for a moment before reaching into her milkshake in search of more cherries._

_“Um...I’ll be right back,” Betty said slowly as she made her way out of the booth, her eyebrows knit together in confusion as the mysterious redhead started sticking her whole hand into the large milkshake glass with determination._

_She barely looked up to watch her leave, too preoccupied with finding more cherries in her milkshake. Defeated, she frowned and pulled her cold hand out of the glass, starting to lick the sticky ice cream from her hands. It tasted like cherries, but it wasn’t the same. It was still good, though. Human food was amazing!_

_“Okay,” Betty came back and sat down across from her again just as she was getting the last bit of milkshake off her hand, “Pop said because it’s a slow morning, I can take you to see Toni if you want. Since it doesn’t seem like you have any other way of getting to her. I just have to be back by eleven for lunch rush. So if we leave now, I’ll be back right on time.”_

_“See Toni?” her eyes lit up as a smile spread across her face._

_“Yeah, but we have to leave right now. I want to say hi to her anyways. It’s been a while, so we’ll keep it a surprise. Did you go to school with us?”_

_“School?”_

_“Yeah. You’re wearing a Riverdale High shirt. Did you go there too? I don’t remember you, but I kind of just hung out with Jug and Toni most of the time anyways.”_

_The girl looked down at the shirt she had thrown on curiously before looking back up at the blonde with a blank but curious stare._

_“Never mind, let’s go see Toni,” Betty chuckled and beckoned for her to follow, “Did you have shoes or anything...No?”_

_“No,” she repeated, but still kept the large, excited grin on her face._

_“Okay. Well...it should be all right. Come on,” Betty started to walk out the door with the redhead in tow._

_“Good luck, Betty!” Pop called from behind them with a wave, making the redhead smile as she whispered the phrase to herself and followed Betty out to her car._

_“Sorry, it’s a little clunky. I’m saving up for a new one,” Betty got into the drivers seat and reached over to unlock the passenger door. But the passenger was standing in front of the vehicle, looking confused as ever. “Come on, don’t you wanna go see Toni?”_

_That perked her up and get her attention. She wanted to see Toni. She had to return the locket. Betty knew where she was, and she was going to take her. Biting her lip, she grimaced at the feeling of pebbles beneath her feet on the concrete, digging into her skin as she walked to the drivers side door, ready to get into the car like Betty had._

_“You get in on the other side,” the waitress chuckled, sending her a curious look and watching as she rounded the car to the passenger side. It took her much longer than any other person, as if she had never gotten into a car before. “Seatbelt,” Betty instructed as she started up the engine, noting how the redhead tensed up and made no effort to put her seatbelt on, “You have to wear a seatbelt, it’s the law.”_

_The girl just stared at her, confused, a hint of fear on her face as she tried to understand. She was trying her hardest to act like any other human, but she kept getting the same strange look that Betty was giving her now. But she was relieved when she reached over and pulled the grey strap across her lap and chest, clicking it in beside her. She didn’t know what it was for, but Betty had one just like it. This was something humans did, so she could do it too. She looked down at the seatbelt, gripping the straps in her hands with a quiet giggle as the car started to move._

_She was so close to finding Toni, she could hardly contain her excitement._

**xxx**

_The ride to the city flew by for the mermaid. Betty asked her a lot of questions, but most of them went unanswered as she found interest in other things, whether it was the buttons on the radio or the cars passing by them on the road. Her nose and forehead were tinted pink from pressing her face against the glass, trying to get a closer look at everything she could. Life outside the ocean was so fascinating!_

_“Crap,” she heard Betty mutter beside her. The blonde was checking her watch for the tenth time, frowning and gripping her forehead in frustration, “I don’t know if I’ll get to stay with you. I have to get back to Pop’s by lunch.” The blonde sighed and rested her elbow on her armrest as they sat in unmoving traffic. “Is it okay if I drop you off at Toni’s?”_

_“Toni,” the girl nodded with an eager grin, not exactly understanding the question. But Toni’s name was involved, so she was on board with no hesitation. And before Betty could respond, the redhead’s face was pressed back against the glass window, grinning with wide eyes at every little thing she saw. But all too soon, the car came to a stop in front of a tall building._

_“I don’t have time to stay, but she should be home, I think. If not, her roommate should be there,” Betty unclipped her seatbelt and reached across to open the door. “Say hi to Toni for me, okay? I’m sorry again to ditch you like this, I just can’t miss lunch rush.”_

_The redhead looked between the open car door and the blonde who drove her here. They were so far from Riverdale. How was she supposed to get back after she returned the locket? But she’d made it this far, she would find a way. One step at a time. And her next step was finding Toni._

_“She lives in number twenty. Two zero,” Betty told her as she got out of the car, shuffling her bare feet against the concrete sidewalk. “Sorry again that I couldn’t stay, but good luck!”_

_The mermaid smiled to herself as she watched Betty wave at her before the car peeled off the curb. She whispered the phrase “good luck” to herself, turning to face the tall building with an excited smile._

_On wobbly legs, she stepped onto the stoop, smiling giddily as she climbed the small set of steps. This was it, she was finally going to see Toni and talk to her after all these years. Though, her smile fell as she was met with another roadblock: the door._

_**“You have to pull,”** echoed in her head. The nice man named Pop back in Riverdale had opened the door. She could do it too. But when her pale fingers stretched around the handle, no matter how hard she pulled, it just wouldn’t open. She tried pushing, and still nothing. These doors were getting on her nerves. Why didn’t they want her to see Toni?_

_“Excuse me,” a voice nearly startled her out of her skin as she jumped back from the door, nearly falling over the stood and into the bushes on her unsteady legs. She turned to see a small, elderly woman walking a fluffy white dog. She’d never seen such a creature. Nothing in the ocean was fluffy like that._

_“Looking for Toni. Number twenty,” she told the woman who seemed to have the magical ability to open the door. Why could everyone do it but her? Maybe it was a human thing. She’d have to learn how._

_“Toni Topaz? She lives two doors down from me,” the woman smiled and held the door open for her to go inside. She liked her. She didn’t give her the same strange looks that everyone else did. Not that she disliked Betty. Betty was very nice. “My name is Elaine. You’re welcome to ride the elevator with Jasper and I if you’d like.”_

_“Elaine. Jasper,” the redhead repeated quietly, smiling as the followed the woman. She’d seen so many odd things in the human world, she couldn’t even be bothered to wonder why they were getting into a big box with shiny buttons on the wall. Her eyes widened with fascination as Elaine pressed one, making it light up yellow like the sun. But as much as she wanted to stay and press the buttons herself, she had a mission to accomplish. Toni was somewhere in this building and she had to find her._

_Once the doors opened back up, she was confused to see that they weren’t in the same place as before. The cool, waxed hardwood under her feet send a shiver down her spine as she stepped out of the elevator, looking around. “Toni?” she called out, looking around. There were so many doors. Which one was number twenty?_

_“Down this way, dear,” Elaine beckoned her to follow, which she did with haste, still glancing around. “She’s this one right here. But if I’m not mistaken, she’s gone to work for the day.”_

_Running to the door the woman pointed to, the mermaid pressed on the door and pulled at the handle, pressing her forehead against the wood to glance through the tiny little window above the metal numbers tacked to the door. But the window was no help. Everything she saw through it was round and upside down. “Toni?” she called out again, pulling on the doorknob to get it to open._

_“Try knocking,” Elaine walked back over to her, reaching up to knock on the wood for her when she didn’t understand. The redhead repeated the action and waited, shifting from foot to foot anxiously. “Good luck, dear,” the elderly woman waved at her as she walked away, disappearing behind her own door not far away._

_Before she had the chance to repeat the phrase back to herself, the door in front of her swung open. This wasn’t Toni._

_“Can I help you?” the dark haired girl quirked an eyebrow at her._

_“Toni,” she uttered for the thousandth time today before stepping into the apartment and brushing past the stranger, “Looking for Toni.”_

_“Um, I didn’t invite you in. And Toni’s at work. Who are you?”_

_“Work?” the redhead asked, still glancing around for her pink-haired friend._

_“Yes, work. At the New York Observer? If you were her friend, you’d know that. Now who are you? Why are you looking for Toni?” the unknown girl asked again, crossing her arms over her chest as her eyes drifted down to her bare feet.  
Toni wasn’t here. The mermaid was growing frustrated. All she wanted was to finally come face to face with the girl she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about for thirteen years and return her father’s locket to her. _

_With a huff, she walked out of the apartment, ignoring the girl calling after her and the slamming of the door. She hit every button on the elevator wall once the doors opened for her, waiting until she saw the marble tile of the lobby instead of the hardwood of the residential floors._

_**New York Observer. Looking for Toni. New York Observer.** _

_How was she supposed to get to Toni? What was the New York Observer?_

_Maybe she would be better off just waiting there for her. If she lived in the building, she would come home eventually, right?_

_She sat, defeated on the bottom step of the small set of stairs, resting her chin in her hands as she glanced around, wondering how long it would be before Toni came._

_“Wall Street,” she heard a man say not too far away as he got into the back seat of a large yellow car. A woman with a little girl on her hip did the same in another nearby yellow car, telling the driver she needed to get to 85th Street before the car took off down the street._

_The mermaid was starting to get discouraged, worrying that she would never find Toni. But this was her last hope. She had to try._

_Standing back up, she balanced herself on her feet before stepping off the sidewalk, holding her hands up for one of the yellow cars in the street like the others were doing. How were the cars supposed to see her from the sidewalk?_

_A loud screech echoed through the street as a yellow car came to a speedy stop just a few inches from her legs._

_“Are you crazy?! S’matter with you?!” the man driving the car stuck his head out from the window. But the redhead was too busy smiling proudly at herself to care. She was getting so much better at human things._

_“Looking for Toni. New York Observer,” she smiled, walking around to speak to the man from the drivers side window before letting herself into the back of the car, remembering how she had opened the door to Betty’s._

_“Are you kidding?” the large man looked at her like she was crazy. She wasn’t crazy. She just needed to find Toni. Why did no one understated that?_

_“Toni. Looking for Toni. New York Observer,” she repeated determinedly._

_The man just scoffed and got back in the cab, adjusting his head as he grumbled to himself about not getting paid enough for this. She could tell he was upset, but when the car started to move, she couldn’t help but smile to herself. She was going to find Toni this time. She’d been dreaming of this her whole life. Though, this isn’t how she pictured it happening._

_Keeping her face pressed to the glass window, she repeated Toni’s name a few times during the drive, reminding the man in the front seat of where he was supposed to be going. And after what felt like forever, the car stopped in front of a fair sized building with **New York Observer** above the door in big letters._

_“New York Observer. That’ll be sixty bu-hey!”_

_She was already out of the car and running as fast as her new legs could carry her into the building. The door even opened for her! That was a good sign. Toni was here, she could feel it. She just **knew**._

_Walking briskly around the rooms, she searched and searched until she came to a large open room with several cubicles and desks scattered around. With a deep breath, she padded around quietly. Her heart nearly stopped in her chest when she spotted the head of soft pink hair, leaning over her desk with determination. She felt her whole body tingle with excitement. It was like she could _feel_ her just from looking at her. And she wondered if Toni could feel her too. _

_She bit her lip gently and stepped a bit closer, approaching the girl from behind. She watched as she sat up in her chair, tilting her head back as she took a drink from her mug. She was beautiful. She didn’t even need to see her face to know that. Toni had always been beautiful. Hers was a rare beauty that the timid mermaid admired, to a point that she never wanted to stop looking at her. For so long, all she had were her memories or the brief glimpse from her spot under the dock. And now here she was, standing right behind her._

_This was it. The moment she had been waiting for._

_“Toni!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope that wasn’t too bad. I know it’s not very realistic, but Cheryl’s a whole mermaid, so.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hallo! Surprise update today cause 1. felt like it 2. wasn’t a big fan of the last chapter and wanted to give y’all something else to read. Enjoy!

Toni watched, helpless, as tears streamed relentlessly down Cheryl’s cheeks. What would have been a five minute story to anyone fluent in the English language, turned into nearly an hour of frustrated storytelling for the redhead. Toni helped her out as best she could, assisting her with words or trying to help coax sentences out, even going as far as googling images of things that Cheryl couldn’t quite describe so she had a visual aid. She even surprised herself with how patient she was being with her. And each time Cheryl squeezed her eyes shut, trying with all her might to explain something, Toni’s heart broke a little more. The redhead was trying so hard to be honest with her and answer her questions. She had apologized for her inability to explain so many times during her story, to which Toni just ‘shh’ed her calmly and told her to take her time. 

“And that’s when you found me,” the pink haired girl rubbed Cheryl’s back soothingly, watching as she nodded and wiped her eyes for the hundredth time. 

“I found Toni,” Cheryl whispered, her voice hoarse from crying.

“Hey, I know I didn’t really...show it at first, but...” Toni trailed off, flicking her tongue over her dry lips as she thought of what to say, “I’ve really liked having you around. Even though it’s been a crazy whirlwind, it’s been the most fun I’ve had in a long time.”

“I am fun?” the younger girl gave her a watery smile, wiping her eyes with a sniffle. 

Toni just smiled and rubbed her back again, hugging her a bit to her as they sat up towards the headboard of her bed, “Yeah, you’re a lot of fun.” She watched as Cheryl wiped under her eyes once more before her shiny brown eyes were locked on hers again. She didn’t know what it was, but every time she caught Cheryl’s eyes like this, she couldn’t just look away. It took effort, it took time. Like pulling two magnets apart, it took strength. She wasn’t sure why, but what she was sure of was that her body instantly filled with warmth whenever she caught sight of the deep brown irises. She had grown used to seeing them so full of innocence and curiosity, but lately she’d seen them filled with sadness too many times.

“So, um...” she managed to tear her eyes away, awkwardly tucking loose pink hair from her bun behind her ear, “How come you’re not allowed to come to the surface? Was it just you or is it...all of them?”

“We are not allowed to come to the surface until we turn sixteen. But...my mother and father...they did not want me to ever come to the surface,” Cheryl pulled her legs up to her chest wrapping her arms around her knees as she rested her chin on them.

“Why not?”

The redhead turned so she was facing Toni, her cheek rested on the tops of her pale knees. “My...I do not know the word. The other child of my mother and father...”

“You have a sister? Or a brother?”

“He was a boy. Brother,” Cheryl tried the word out quietly before continuing, “My brother got hurt going to the surface when he was eight years old. He would always show me the things he would find and tell me about what he saw. I was four years old. He was going to sneak up to the surface again. And...someone brought him home because he had been...”

Toni’s heart clenched as her quivering voice trailed off. Pale legs extended across the mattress as she held her stomach through her t-shirt, looking back up into Toni’s eyes. 

“There was a big...sharp stick,” she gestured to her stomach, drawing a repetitive circle around her midriff with the tip of her finger, “Here.”

“A harpoon,” the pinkette muttered as she swallowed thickly, “He was killed by a fisherman.”

Cheryl nodded and brought her knees up again, hugging them tightly to her chest. “And after that, my mother and father told me I was not allowed to go to the surface. Ever. But...my brother always told me about the humans. He loved everything about them and could not wait until he turned eighteen so he could go on land. I wanted to learn about humans too. My father always said that humans were evil...”

“Some of them are,” Toni bit her lip, feeling the guilt bubble up in her stomach. There were a lot of fishermen in Riverdale. She just hoped that her family didn’t have anything to do with Cheryl’s brother’s death. 

“You are not evil, Toni. You are the nicest, most beautiful human I have ever met,” the redhead’s eyes widened as she spoke so seriously to make sure Toni believed her. “Your father was not evil either. He was a good man.”

Her heart stopped in her chest, the tips of her fingers starting to tingle with nerves. Talking about her parents always made her so uncomfortable. “How would you know?” she snorted a light laugh, reaching up to scratch her scalp nervously. 

“Because he carried you around with him wherever he would go,” Cheryl blindly reached up to fiddle with the locket, forgetting that it was no longer around her neck. “He kept you close to his heart at all times. He tried to save you. He was not evil. He loved you very much.”

Toni just stared at her, wondering how the hell Cheryl managed to make things seem so simple. You could probably ask the girl why the sky is blue and she would give you the easiest answer as if it were just common knowledge. It was overwhelming, actually, the way Cheryl thought. Toni probably hadn’t seen the world with such purity since she was a little kid. Back when the only thing she had to worry about was her parents trying to feed her vegetables and what her Barbies were going to wear. She envied that innocence in Cheryl, and she truly hoped that she never lost it.

“Toni, you are crying,” the redhead’s voice broke her from her thoughts, bringing her attention to the tears running down her own cheeks and the feeling of soft, pale fingers brushing them away, “I am sorry, I did not mean to make you sad.”

“No,” Toni shook her head quickly and got up from the bed, “No, you didn’t it’s just...I don’t really like talking about my parents.” She wiped the stray tears from her eyes as she paced a few times along the edge of the bed stretching her legs after sitting for so long. Cheryl’s eyes were on her, she could feel it, but she couldn’t turn to face her yet.

Biting her lip, she knelt down by the backpack she had brought with her, reaching into one of the pockets for the gold necklace and running the pad of her thumb over the smooth locket, amazed at how it looked brand new. Even when her father would wear it, she remembered it looking a bit tarnished. 

“So, um...I’m guessing the locket has some kind of magic in it or something?” she joked as she sat back on the bed, brushing off her sadness as if it never happened.

“Yes it does,” Cheryl nodded with a bit of a smile.

“Oh,” Toni chuckled, “I was just kidding. What’s magical about it?”

“In the ocean, when you turn eighteen, you are given a necklace that will make you remain human while you are on land. Without it, your fins will grow back if you get wet.”

The pink haired girl nodded in understanding while still trying to wrap her mind around everything. This all still felt so surreal, finding out that she had been living a mermaid live with her. The same mermaid that had saved her life as a kid was the girl she was falling so quickly for now.

“I had been keeping this locket hidden from my parents. I wanted to return it to you ever since I got it. But I could never get to you. So when I turned eighteen, I had them put the magic in the locket instead. That way it would be shiny and new when I returned it to you.”

“But then what would you have done if you gave it to me when you met me? What if it started raining or something?” Toni quirked an eyebrow at her. 

“I was too excited to find you to think about that,” her cheeks turned a deep shade of pink as she ducked her head, avoiding her eyes for once.

Toni felt her face heat up as well, biting her swollen lip while she fiddled with the pendant in her hands. “Will it still work now even though you’ve taken it off?”

Picking her head up and nodding, Cheryl pursed her lips together shyly, “Yes it will. I would take it off when I would take a bath in your apartment.”

Things were starting to come together for Toni. Now that she had the answers she was looking for, everything made sense. Where Cheryl came from, why she was looking for her, how she found her. She finally had her answers. 

Without a word, she undid the clasp of the thin gold chain, reaching up to loop it around Cheryl’s neck carefully. She could feel the girl’s warm, fresh breath on her face as she pulled back, finding their faces just mere centimeters apart. She didn’t know why her heart was speeding up in her chest. She’d kissed Cheryl before. But this felt new and different. She knew who she was, _what_ she was. And it felt like meeting her for the first time, getting to know her all over again. Therefor, the feeling she got leaning in to press her lips to hers felt like the first time. Not that their other kisses weren’t great, but this one felt _right_. The first one came as a surprise to her, the second came as a surprise to Cheryl. This one was one that they were both ready for. No surprises this time. 

Cheryl sighed dreamily against her lips, reaching up to cup the sides of her face like she had seen on TV. Toni couldn’t help but smile into the kiss, stars exploding behind her eyes as she leaning in further. She never thought she would feel the way she did now. She’d blocked out and repressed her emotions for so long, not wanting to seem vulnerable in front of anyone. And while part of her wished she hadn’t pushed everything down for so long, a bigger part of her was glad that Cheryl was the one to start breaking down her walls. 

Pulling back breathlessly, she rested her forehead against Cheryl’s, relishing in the feeling of the feather-light touch from her fingers as she’d trailed from her cheeks, down the sides of her neck, coming to a stop over her pounding heart. For once, she wasn’t overthinking. She wasn’t concerned with the fact that she was falling for a mermaid. She wasn’t worried about her job or Veronica. She was _here_ in this moment with Cheryl and she was _happy_ , finally unafraid to let herself feel that way. 

“You hungry?” she whispered into the quiet room, smiling as she felt the younger girl nod eagerly against her forehead.

**xxx**

“Well, well, who do we have here? Can’t be Toni Topaz, she doesn’t smile,” Pop Tate teased as he came around to the little corner booth.

“Funny, Pop,” Toni rolled her eyes with a little chuckle, “Good to see you.”

“I was wondering when you’d come back,” the older man smiled and pat her back gently before turning to Cheryl who was smiling from her bench seat across from her, “I see you found what you were looking for.”

The redhead blushed and nodded her head, “I found my Toni.”

The pink haired girl was grateful for the neon lighting in the diner that masked the intense blush on her own cheeks. She’d known Pop Tate her entire life. He was like a grandfather to her. And in the eighteen years she lived in Riverdale, she never once came to the diner on anything that resembled a date. And now that she was here with Cheryl (who always liked to claim her as her own), she was sure she would never hear the end of it from him. 

“Glad to hear it. And good to have you back, Toni,” he smiled at her before pulling out his pen and notepad, “What’ll it be?”

“I’ll have my usual,” she nodded before looking to Cheryl, “Do you know what you want?”

“Cherries,” she nodded with a grin.

“You can’t have just cherries,” Toni shook her head with a laugh, turning to Pop, “She’ll have a grilled cheese and a cherry shake. And you can give her the cherry from mine.” She thanked him politely, smiling as he walked away to fill their orders.

“He is a nice man,” Cheryl commented quietly.

“Yeah, he’s the best,” Toni nodded and relaxed into her seat, “Is it okay if we talk a little more while we’re here? About...y’know, you?” She watched the redhead glance around the diner. It was busy, but not packed. She wasn’t about to push her into talking more about herself, but Cheryl didn’t seem to need convincing, since she nodded timidly in response.

“We’ll stay quiet,” Toni reassured her before leaning onto the table, watching her mirror her action, “So are you on a time limit or something? Like, you’re only allowed to be here for a certain amount of time?”

Cheryl shook her head no, flicking her tongue out over her pink lips as she prepared to speak. “We can be on land as long as we want to be. But...I am not allowed to be here.”

“What do you mean?”

“My...parents,” she paused to remember the word, “They do not know I am here. I am not allowed to be here.”

Toni’s eyes widened a little, hoping that she wasn’t going to be in any trouble back home. “So you came here without them knowing? Won’t they come looking for you?”

“They will not come on land. They do not even go to the surface.”

“Will they be mad when you go back?”

“Yes they will. They are very...um...”

“Strict?” Toni asked, trying to help.

“Yes. Very strict.”

“When do you think you’ll go back?” she asked quietly, thanking Pop again as he brought their food and milkshakes to the table. Cheryl seemed suddenly solemn, not even excited about the cherries perched on top of the whipped cream on her shake. Toni hated seeing her upset. This was how she saw her just this morning after Betty left her apartment. Quiet, lost in thought, seemingly at war with herself. It wasn’t like Cheryl to be so down and quiet. 

“Hey,” she reached across the table for one of her hands, squeezing it reassuringly, “You can stay with me as long as you want. I’ve gotta figure out a living situation back in New York, but you’re more than welcome to stick with me, okay? I just don’t want your parents to get mad at you for being gone so long.”

Cheryl nodded, squeezing her hand back weakly and staring at the plate of food in front of her.

“I figure we can stay here for the rest of the weekend,” she offered, trying to perk Cheryl back up, “You wanna watch a movie or something when we get back to my uncle’s house?” It wasn’t much, but the slight smile and nod she got from Cheryl was a step in the right direction. She didn’t want her to stress. “Better eat then, or else your cherries are gonna get stolen,” she smirked, laughing when the redhead started to giggle before starting to eat.

Things would be okay, she was sure of it.

**xxx**

With her parents in the very back of her mind, Cheryl had never felt more at peace than she did now. After they had left Pop’s a few hours ago, Toni had taken her back to her uncle’s house and back up to her old bedroom. She even got to hold her hand the whole time. It gave her a feeling that Toni called ‘butterflies in her stomach’, but Cheryl knew that she hadn’t eaten any butterflies. Toni called it an ‘expression’, whatever that meant. But she learned that humans would get the butterflies in their stomach when they were happy, or excited, or nervous. And Cheryl felt all those things at once. She felt that way all the time with Toni.

After fiddling with the small boxy TV on her dresser, the pink haired girl had managed to get it working. It was nothing like the TV she had back in New York.

“These are all the movies I’ve got here if you wanna pick one,” she pulled out a crate of VHS tapes, sliding it across the floor to Cheryl, “There’s nothing recent in here, but I think I’ve got an old copy of The Little Mermaid if you wanna watch that.”

The redhead smiled and sifted through the box, looking at covers with her eyebrows furrowed and the tip of her tongue caught between her teeth in concentration as she inspected each one.

“This one was my mom’s favorite,” Toni picked up the case for When Harry Met Sally, “At least I think it was. I always remember seeing the case in the living room. It was always out instead of getting put away. Like someone was watching it all the time.”

Cheryl studied her face, noting the sadness in her eyes, despite the smile on her lips. Why were human emotions so complicated? “We will watch that one, then,” she stated with a hopeful grin. If it was Toni’s mother’s favorite, that meant it was important to her. Just like she was important to Toni. 

“Are you sure? It’s not super exciting or anything...”

“But it was your mother’s favorite. That is exciting.”

Toni just pursed her lips into a tight smile. It was just a movie, it couldn’t hurt. “Okay,” she shrugged, going to put the movie in while Cheryl curled up amongst the blankets and pillows. The redhead just watched, amazed at how Toni knew how to do _everything_. She made it all look so easy. 

“Is it okay if I sit with you?” the pink haired girl’s voice broke her from her trance. She didn’t realize she had been staring, or for how long. But she nodded her head eagerly and scooted over a few inches, making room and lifting the blanket so she could join her in the cozy little nest she’d created. 

The butterflies came back as Toni sat beside her, covering them both in the quilted blanket. And Cheryl couldn’t resist curling up to her side, resting her head comfortably on her shoulder. She’d never felt the butterflies as much as she was now. And the feeling only intensified when Toni’s arm came up to wrap around her shoulders, keeping her close. She hummed out a content sigh, melting into her warm embrace as she tried not to think about how much longer it would last.

**xxx**

Somewhere during the movie, the two had somehow switched places. Cheryl was sat upright while Toni’s cheek was rested against her shoulder, fast asleep while Cheryl slowly raked her fingers through the pink hair that she had let down from her bun. She’d never felt more peaceful and she never wanted the night to end.

_“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. And the thing is, I love you.”_

_”What?”_

_”I love you.”_

Cheryl’s eyes drifted back to the TV after she’d been looking at the pink haired girl since she fell asleep.

_”How do you expect me to respond to this?”_

_”How about you love me too?”_

She watched the man and woman on screen. They had gone through so many ups and downs throughout the movie. She was starting to wonder if they would ever work things out. 

_”I love that you get cold when it’s seventy-one degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you’re looking at me like I’m nuts! I love that after I spend a day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes! And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night.”_

Cheryl swallowed thickly as her heartbeat sped up in her chest. Everything Harry was saying was exactly how she felt about Toni. Every little thing about her, she adored. From her morning breath to the way she would sing and hum to herself while she focused on her work. 

_”And it’s not because I’m lonely, and it’s not because it’s New Year’s Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”_

Cheryl had been constantly confused since arriving on land, but for the first time, she finally was seeing something clearly. She loved Toni. She loved Toni like Monica loved Chandler. She loved her like Ariel loved Eric. She loved her like Harry loved Sally. She’d heard of love on TV, but never knew what it felt like until now. She loved _Toni_. And she needed her to know it. 

Removing her fingers from the tangles of pink, she sat up straighter and started to gently shake the sleeping girl awake. She needed her to know before things got confusing again. “Toni,” she whimpered, nudging her shoulder until she started to blink her eyes open, “Toni, wake up.”

“What is it?” the older girl mumbled sleepily, reaching up to rub one of her eyes with a yawn, “How long was I asleep?”

Cheryl watched as she sat up, feeling her throat go dry as she tried to explain her feelings. Her mouth opened and closed a few times as she tried to get the words out. “I have been doing a lot of thinking. And the thing is, I love you,” she mimicked the movie quote, but said it with as much sincerity as she could muster. It was true.

Toni just stared at her with sleep-filled eyes for a moment before shaking her head with a sigh. “You don’t love me, Cheryl. Not like that.”

This wasn’t how Cheryl expected it to go. “B-but Harry said-“

“That’s a movie, Cher. It’s not real life,” the pinkette explained gently, “Those two knew each other for _years_. They were _in_ love. It’s different.”

Cheryl’s brows knit together. Why did everything end up having to be so complicated? “How is it different?”

“Well, you can love anyone and anything. I love my friends and my family. I love watching the sunset and taking pictures. But when you’re _in_ love...I don’t know. I’ve never been in love. But it’s different. Remember when I told you what a crush is?”

“A crush is when you like someone as more than a friend. You want to be a couple and date them and spend lots of time with them,” Cheryl nodded, repeating what Toni had told her days ago, “You are my crush, Toni.”

The older girl’s heart leapt a bit in her chest as she tried to ignore Cheryl’s last statement. “Well, being in love is like having a crush. Only it’s...deeper, it’s more intense. You’re in love when you know you want to marry someone and be with them for the rest of your life. They’re all you can think about. You care more about them than yourself and you would do anything for them...Understand?”

She understood. For _once_ , she understood. It was exactly how she felt, but Toni wouldn’t believe her. “I have loved you since I was five years old,” she whispered as she reached up to cup her tan cheek, feeling tears start to form in her eyes, “I would think about you every day. I wanted you to be happy.”

“That...” she trailed off, unsure of what to say. She didn’t want to hurt her, but let’s face it, she was a realist. A realist with a mermaid sitting beside her. And to top it all off, it was a mermaid she was developing feelings for. She couldn’t fall in love with a mermaid. This wasn’t a fairytale where things like that are just accepted. It couldn’t happen, as much as it hurt to deny it. “That wasn’t love, Cheryl. That was...infatuation or something, I don’t know. You saw a human for the first time, that was a big deal for you.”

She felt awful as she reached up to wipe the tears from her flushed cheeks. Last thing she wanted to do was hurt her, but she had to be realistic. They were from two different species for god’s sake! 

“Look...Cher, look at me,” she trailed her fingers from her cheek down to the side of her neck, watching with soft eyes as the redhead opened hers, “I like you, okay? I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been feeling... _something_ for you lately. But...it’s just complicated, okay? I’m trying to figure things out. But I do like you. I just don’t wanna get your hopes up for something that probably won’t happen.”

Cheryl hated that word. _Complicated_. Why was everything in the human world so complicated? Why couldn’t it just be easy? 

“I just need some time to think about things, okay?” Toni continued, whispering into the darkened room.

“Okay, Toni,” she nodded, leaning in to hug her tightly. She breathed in the smell of her shampoo, finding enough comfort and familiarity in it to let it soothe her as she melted into her embrace. She still loved Toni and didn’t think she would ever stop. It just made her heart hurt knowing that Toni might never love her back after all this time.

“Thank you for saving me. And for trying to save my dad,” the pink haired girl smiled warmly as she pulled back from the hug, tucking copper strands behind Cheryl’s ear, “I don’t think I ever said thank you for that.”

“I am sorry I could not save him,” she sniffled, wiping her eyes with a sad smile in return.

“But you tried. That means a lot to me,” Toni kept her fingers running through her soft red hair, watching her bite her lip and twiddle her thumbs in silence, “And hey, if the accident hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have met you. We wouldn’t be here right now. See? Silver lining.”

“Is that an expression?” Cheryl looked up at her with curiosity outweighing the sadness in her eyes.

“Yeah, it is,” she chuckled. Reaching for the remote, she turned the TV off before sliding down further to lay down, watching Cheryl to the same. “Night, Cher.”

The mermaid watched through the dark as Toni closed her eyes, nestling comfortably onto the pillow. Her mind was racing far too much for her to sleep now. But she was perfectly content with watching Toni drift off to sleep. 

“Toni?” she whispered, wanting to catch her before she faded.

“Mm?”

“Can I still kiss you even if you do not love me back?” 

Toni’s eyes opened slowly, finding Cheryl staring right back at her with a hopeful expression and her lip caught nervously between her teeth. The way Cheryl asked made her heart sink a bit. It wasn’t that she didn’t love her. She just wasn’t _supposed to_. And she didn’t want to lead her on, but she had to admit that she craved it just as much as Cheryl seemed to.

Flicking her tongue out over her lips, she leaned in slowly, closing the distance between them as those first kiss jitters took over her body all over again. She didn’t think she would ever get sick of the feeling she got when her lips met Cheryl’s. And she secretly hoped that she would get to feel it often. 

Maybe even every day for the rest of her life.


	16. Chapter 16

The weight on Toni’s chest was unfamiliar, but not unwelcome. Her face scrunched up in displeasure as the sunlight burned through her eyelids, causing her arm to instinctively raise to cover her face. After the long day she had yesterday, she felt like she could sleep forever. And Cheryl apparently felt the same, since she was out cold against her chest. 

Toni’s lips curled up into a smile as she squinted in the sunlight, taking in the sight of her peaceful expression. Like some kind of Disney princess, Cheryl even slept with a smile on her face like she didn’t have a care or problem in the world. She brushed a few strands of bright red hair from her face, freezing when she stirred a bit. But when the younger girl relaxed, Toni did as well, reaching up to rake her fingers through her own hair with a relieved sigh. Yesterday had been a total whirlwind, from finding out Cheryl was a mermaid to her trying to tell her that she loved her. For someone who was used to _nothing_ happening, that was almost too much for Toni. But she was grateful for the quiet time she had now while Cheryl was asleep. 

She knew she liked Cheryl as more than a friend. There was no point in denying it anymore. But where were they supposed to go from here? Cheryl was a mermaid. She was still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that mermaids were _real_ , let alone the fact that one was claiming to be in love with her. How were they supposed to make things work between them? They were from completely different worlds. 

_Would it be any different if she were human?_

Biting her lip, Toni thought as hard as her half-asleep brain could. _Would_ it be any different if Cheryl were human? Would she be giving in to the feelings that were so foreign to her, or would she still be keeping them pushed down and making excuses? But this wasn’t her usual ‘I’m not ready to let someone in’ excuse, this was a ‘the girl I’m falling for has a tail and lives in the ocean’ excuse. Which, unfortunately, was a pretty good argument.

Cheryl was beautiful, kind, adorable...and she could make a root canal seem exciting. Cheryl loved her...or she thought she did. Regardless, Toni saw the way that the redhead looked at her like she hung the stars in the sky. It never failed to send a shiver down her spine and a blush to her cheeks when she would catch Cheryl staring unapologetically. Maybe that’s what it was about her. She didn’t know what was considered ‘normal’ on land. It was like she lived in her own little world and assumed everyone around her would be okay with it.

There was a rawness about Cheryl that Toni admired. But she also feared it. She’d seen too much shit in the world to understand how the redhead could possibly have such a innocent outlook on life. She let things roll off her back so easily sometimes. Even with what she had told her yesterday about her brother. He died. He was killed by a human, and yet Cheryl was still positive and forgiving. Meanwhile, Toni was still jaded and bitter about her parents. 

_It’s okay to still be upset over what happened. Everyone processes and grieves differently._

With a deep sigh, the pinkette reached up to rub her throbbing temple with her free hand while the other was gently stroking up and down Cheryl’s back over the thin cotton t-shirt she recognized from her closet. As much as Toni loved having the time alone to think, it was way too early for her to be having an internal war like this. Her hunger wasn’t helping either. 

She carefully slid out from where Cheryl was attached to her side, covering her back up with the quilted blanket as she stirred briefly. Her lip caught between her teeth as she watched her sleep, unable to resist the urge to kiss her forehead. Toni could feel the tingle of electricity in her lips when they met with the warm skin, tearing herself away before she ended up getting back in bed with her. 

Her feet padded down the hall after she quietly shut the door, making her way downstairs only to be met with the comforting smell of bacon and maple syrup. And that warm, homey feeling in her stomach spread throughout her whole body when she found Jughead and Betty working so domestically around the kitchen. 

“Hey!” the tall, dark-haired boy smiled, rushing over to lift her into a spinning hug like he’d done ever since they were kids, “Long time, no see, stranger. Sorry if we woke you up.”

“You didn’t,” she chuckled up at him as he put her down. He always had at at least a foot of height on her, which he always used to his advantage, “I didn’t see you here last night.”

“I spent the night at Betty’s. It’s closer to work,” he shrugged, watching as the shorter girl moved across the room to hug her best friend, “But Betty wanted to come and check up on you since she didn’t have to work the sunrise shift at Pop’s.”

“Where’s F.P.?” Toni turned back to him, taking a seat at the round table.

“He’s out on the water. He’s been getting up extra early to go out for a while now,” Jughead shrugged before going back to the skillet on the stove, “Says it helps him clear his head before he faces the day.”

Toni just nodded slowly, thanking Betty when she brought her a glass of orange juice. It was strange how she felt more at home here now than she had in years. When she was a teenager, she hated being in this house and just wanted to get out. Multiple times, she was escorted home by the sheriff after being caught trying to live out of her car. She didn’t know what was so different now, but she was almost dreading her inevitable trip back to the city. 

“We really miss you around here, Toni,” Jughead smiled over at her, “I know you said you never wanted to come back, but I’m glad this mystery girl Betty’s been telling me about managed to drag you back.”

“How’s Cheryl doing? She was really bent out of shape when she showed up yesterday. She would barely talk to me,” the blonde sat across from her, sipping at her own glass of orange juice.

“Veronica got to her when I wasn’t there,” the pinkette rolled her eyes, “I guess she told her that I didn’t want her there anymore and sent her back here without telling me. But she’s doing better, I think. She was out cold when I woke up. We both kind of had a long day.”

Jughead came around with plates of food, setting them down in front of the girls before sitting down with his own plate and black coffee. “Did you ever figure out where she came from?” he asked through a mouth full of pancakes, making Toni freeze in her seat.

How was she supposed to tell them that the girl who showed up out of the blue is the mermaid that saved her life thirteen years ago? The mermaid that everyone from Jughead to the school counselor convinced her wasn’t real. She was real, she was here, and Toni was trying not to fall in love with her.

“Uh-“

“Toni?” a timid voice interrupted her from the doorway, belonging to a sleepy Cheryl with a bit of wild bedhead.

“Hey, you’re up,” she got up from her chair to greet her at the doorway, reaching up to smooth out some of her hair with a chuckle, “You want some breakfast?” She smiled at the tired nod she responded with, but she wasn’t expecting the slow kiss on her lips that came after it. She could feel the eyes of her best friends on her, causing a blush to rise to her cheeks as she turned around to lead Cheryl to the table. “Uh, Jug, this is Cheryl. Cheryl, this is my cousin Jughead. He’s my Uncle F.P.’s son that I grew up with,” she sat the redhead down, introducing the two as she got her some pancakes.

“Nice to meet you. Betty’s told me a lot about you,” he smiled, reaching his hand across the table. But when the redhead simply extended her hand past his, mimicking the action with a smile, he retracted his hand slowly, starting to understand what Betty had meant when she said Cheryl was a little off. But Cheryl, with her usual blissful ignorance, started to dig into her pancakes, not paying any mind to what everyone else in the room could only refer to as awkward silence. 

“So, um...what did you guys have planned for today?” Betty asked, breaking the silence as Toni took a seat beside Cheryl.

“Not really sure yet. I know we’re probably gonna go to Target or something to get some clothes. At least to last until we head back to New York,” Toni sighed, smiling a little when Cheryl not-so-subtly scooted her chair closer to her.

“When’s that?” Jughead asked over his mug before sipping at his coffee.

“Not sure about that either...I have work tomorrow, but Veronica...”

“Hey, the commute’s only what? An hour without traffic? You could always stay here until you figure something out,” the tall boy offered, straightening up in his chair. He saw Toni’s face fall in defeat and he could practically see the wheels turning in her head. “It’s not like it would be permanent, Toni. Just til you figure something else out. No one’s forcing you.”

The pink haired girl nodded, avoiding his gaze and focusing on the girl beside her instead. She wasn’t going to take Cheryl back to her apartment. She didn’t even want to go back, herself. She knew that Veronica was outspoken. She was a woman of status, she kind of had to be. But despite her intentions, Toni just couldn’t get over what she did yesterday and what she said to Cheryl. Her heart wanted to break all over again when she thought about the look on Cheryl’s face when she found her at Pop’s. Toni wasn’t going to turn her away. She could leave if she wanted to leave, but Toni was starting to find herself not wanting her to leave at all. 

“Thanks, Jug. We’ll see,” she sighed, turning back to face him as she rested her chin in her palm, “I’m just gonna take it all one day at a time, I guess. Cher, you wanna go shopping today?”

The younger girl turned her head, nodding eagerly with wide eyes and a mouth full of pancakes. She didn’t know what shopping was, but she was all for it if it meant getting to spend time with Toni. 

“We’ll go after we eat,” Toni chuckled at her excitement before turning to Betty, “You wanna come?”

The blonde shook her head with a smile, “I have to work a double today starting in a few hours. Thanks, though. Maybe I’ll stop back by tonight and hang out. Unless you wanna be alone,” she smirked with a quirked eyebrow in Toni’s direction, earning her a swift kick in the leg under the table from her best friend.

“Feel free to stop by,” Toni gritted through her teeth with a look of both amusement and annoyance on her face before turning back to Jughead. “Hey, is my dad’s old bike still in the garage?”

“Yeah, Dad’s been taking care of it,” he nodded, “He takes it out sometimes to make sure it’s still running right.”

“Think it’s okay if I take it out later?” 

“Yeah, why not?”

“Well, it’s yours. He left it to you,” Toni shrugged. Jughead was the one who taught her how to ride it. She remembered how interested he was in it when they were kids. Her dad taught him everything about it, from riding it to caring for it. 

“I don’t really ride it anymore. I was actually gonna ask you if you wanted to take it with you back to New York,” he scratched the back of his neck.

“I already have Dad’s car...F.P. likes the bike, he can keep it,” she shook her head with a slight smile, feeling a new weight on her shoulder as Cheryl laid her head on it after finishing her pancakes. 

“Do you wanna go back to bed for a little bit?” she asked, chuckling at how the redhead was already falling back asleep against her shoulder with a yawn. “Yeah, me too,” she breathed a light laugh as she helped Cheryl stand up, “Thanks for breakfast. Good to see you, Jug.” She leaned over to hug him around the shoulders before heading upstairs with the redhead in tow.

**xxx**

“Toni, look!!” Cheryl’s high pitched shriek nearly made Toni jump out of her skin, along with every other person in the vicinity. The pink haired girl turned towards the noise, seeing Cheryl taking off in the direction of a wall of t-shirts. And Toni didn’t even need to watch her to know what shirt she was so excited about.

“Look, Toni, cherries!” The redhead practically yanked the t-shirt from the hook on the wall, amazed by the pattern of cherries all over the white shirt like polka dots. 

“That’s _so_ you,” Toni chuckled, walking over to her and inspecting the shirt, “Do you want that one?”

Cheryl nodded excitedly, starting to work her arms out of the t-shirt she was wearing so she could put the new one on. 

“Whoa, whoa,” the pinkette’s eyes widened as she stopped her from undressing in the middle of the store, “We’ll go try it on, but not out here.” She laughed a little again when Cheryl’s lips turned down in a pout. But it was brief, as she took off again, practically bouncing around the clothing department. 

Toni looked into the basket, counting how much they’d gotten for Cheryl so far. She only got some basic clothes for today and tomorrow for herself, knowing that they would most likely be heading back to New York so she could go to work. Or maybe Cheryl would stay here while she went to work...

Whaever happened, they couldn’t do it in the clothes they’d been wearing since yesterday. 

“Cher, pick out a couple more shirts,” she called after the skipping girl, smirking as she followed her around. She helped her make a few outfits, knowing that she would need clothes of her own if she was going to stay. She still wasn’t sure if she was going to stay or not. Cheryl hadn’t mentioned anything confirming or denying it. And as much as Toni didn’t want to press her for a decision, she really wanted to know what was going on in her head.

After circling the clothing section a few times, Cheryl had finally picked out a few outfits and pajamas for herself. The pajamas were the hardest to get her to decide on since she claimed she didn’t need any because Toni’s shirts were comfortable enough to sleep in. But Toni got her to agree to pick out at least two sets of pajamas before they went to try some of her items on. 

Aside from some of the shorts and pants, a lot of the clothes Cheryl picked out didn’t require a trial run, including the cherry shirt she was so excited about. But Toni let her try it on with a pair of red shorts that she had to try on anyways. 

“Toni?” Cheryl called from the other side of the fitting room door.

“What is it, Cher?” Toni straightened up in her seat, having gotten a little too comfortable while Cheryl tried things on.

“I cannot do it,” her voice was quiet and meek from behind the door, like she was on the verge of crying. Toni knew she was trying on the red shorts she had picked out. They were high waisted with three buttons in the front as well as the zipper. She figured she may have had a hard time with them since all she’d worn all week had been things that were low maintenance and easy to get on. 

With a breath of laughter, the pinkette stood up and crossed the small space to the red door that separated them, “Can I come in?” 

The door clicked as it opened, revealing the adorably frustrated girl on the other side. She had the shorts on, they seemed to fit properly. Just the buttons and zipper needed to be done up. 

“I cannot do it,” she repeated with a slight huff, gesturing to the column of copper buttons above the zipper.

“It’s okay, buttons can be tricky,” Toni shook her head, stepping closer until they were toe to toe. “You just have to slide the button through the hole in the fabric like this,” she did the bottom one for her, looking up to make sure she was watching. She could feel the tingly heat in her cheeks as they turned a deep shade of pink, but cleared her throat and stepped back a few inches. “Think you can do the others?”

Cheryl stuck her tongue out in concentration, her slim fingers fumbling a bit as she tried to get the other two buttons. Toni bit her lip as she watched her struggle, unable to quite get it. She didn’t know how long she should wait before she offered to help again, but when the redhead started to whimper and grunt in frustration, she took that as her cue to step in.

“Hey, hey,” she reached for her hands that were probably about to rip the buttons off the shorts, “It’s okay, we’ll work on it. Okay?” She smiled reassuringly as she slowly fastened the buttons, her fingers shaking a little as she pulled the zipper up. She lingered a bit in her spot after the shorts were properly put together on her, feeling Cheryl’s warm breath against her face as she willed herself to step back again. But she was frozen in place with only the rise and fall of her chest and the movement of her fingers twisting into the red denim belt loops. Her eyes were focused on the cherries dotted all over the shirt Cheryl adored so much, but she could feel the dark brown eyes on her, watching her every move. 

Toni couldn’t bring herself to meet her eyes for whatever reason. But when Cheryl’s fingers came up to absentmindedly toy with the ends of her pink hair, Toni’s gaze snapped up to hers, entranced in her intense stare once again. She didn’t know what it was about those dark brown orbs, but Toni knew that whenever she looked into them, she never wanted to look away. And she’d be lying if she said it didn’t terrify her. But this time, her fear was pushed aside as she inched forward, capturing Cheryl’s soft pink lips in her own. A sigh of relief escaped her as a whimper of delight from Cheryl vibrated against her mouth. And as usual, Toni felt that same feeling she always did, like this was the very first time. 

She pulled her closer by her belt loops, humming quietly into the slow but intense kiss as Cheryl wrapped her arms around her shoulders, keeping her just as close. For someone who had never kissed anyone before, Cheryl was a natural. Or maybe Toni’s judgement was clouded by things like the knot that twisted in her stomach whenever the redhead even looked her way. 

With ragged breath, Toni pulled back slowly, pressing innocent little pecks to the ivory skin around her lips while Cheryl giggled quietly. The girl was turning into a drug that she just couldn’t resist.

“Can I love you now?” the younger girl asked through her giggles, causing Toni to pull back in confusion.

“What?”

“You said you needed time to think. Have you thinked? Can I love you now?” she bit her lip anxiously, going back to twirling the bubblegum locks through her fingers.

Toni’s jaw slacked a little, unsure of how to respond. She’d feel like an ass if she said no, but she didn’t want to get Cheryl’s hopes up by saying yes. But her heart was consistently fluttering in her chest as she repeated those words in her head. Willing the words and thoughts away, she leaned up to kiss her gently, letting her lips linger for only a moment. “I need a little more time, okay?”

Thankfully, Cheryl was the understanding type. She just nodded her head, muttering a quiet, “Okay, Toni,” into the small fitting room. 

“Go ahead and put your other clothes back on and we’ll go get everything checked out. I was thinking we could go to the beach a little later if you want.”

“Yes, I like the beach!”

Toni just chuckled and placed one last chaste peck to her lips, giving in to temptation before leaving the little cubicle.

“Toni?” she heard again just as she was about to sit back down.

“Yeah?”

“I cannot do it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanna say a quick thank you to everyone who reads and leaves comments on this story! I’m the worst when it comes to responding to comments and reviews, but i do read and appreciate every one of them! It means a lot that you guys are taking the time to read something that I’m sure a lot of you just kinda took a chance on, cause I know AUs (especially mermaid ones) can be hit or miss most of the time. But knowing that y’all are genuinely enjoying it is my motivation to write and finish it, so thank you very very much!


	17. Chapter 17

Toni was slowly starting to learn that waking up her arms full of Cheryl was nothing to be afraid of. If anything, she was starting to crave it more often. She never used to fall asleep eager to wake back up again. But she’d woken up with the weight of the redhead on her chest three times today and she was already looking forward to countless more times. And for once, that thought didn’t scare her. 

After checking her phone for the time, she stretched her arms and legs out as best she could, causing Cheryl to stir awake in the process. She felt bad about waking her up, but it was probably for the better so she didn’t have trouble sleeping tonight. 

“Hey,” she mumbled with a smile, watching her pick her head up off her chest.

Cheryl just smiled and leaned up to kiss her gently, sending shivers through Toni’s whole body. “Hey, Toni,” she whispered, reaching up to rub her sleepy eyes.

“Sorry if I woke you up, but we kinda have to get up anyways. It’s almost three in the afternoon,” the pinkette breathed a bit of a laugh as Cheryl made no effort to get up. Instead, she just reached up to twirl the ends of her pink hair between her fingers yet again, sighing in content as she laid her head back down with a smile on her face. “I was gonna take my dad’s motorcycle out for a spin around town. You wanna come with me?” Toni asked, as her palm ran up and down the back of the cherry-patterned shirt that Cheryl insisted she put on as soon as they got back to the house.

“Motorcycle?” she picked her head up again as her eyebrows knit together in confusion.

“Yeah, it’s kind of like a car, but also kind of like a bicycle,” she tried to explain, “Come on, I’ll show you.”

She took Cheryl’s hand and lead her downstairs, helping her slip her new red tennis shoes onto her feet before they stepped out into the garage. The bike was under a tarp in the corner, practically calling her name. And the sense of comfort that came over her when she pulled the tarp off was overwhelming to say the least. It was just the same, still in great condition. F.P. certainly had been taking care of it. Nothing was faded, nothing was dull. It looked like the cool, shiny Harley she always remembered it as. 

“This is your dad’s motorcycle?” Cheryl asked and stepped a bit closer, watching as Toni ran her fingertips over the leather seat. 

“Yeah,” she nodded slowly, kicking her leg up and sliding comfortably onto the seat, just getting reacquainted with the feeling of being on the bike again. Even if it wasn’t running, just being on it made her feel at home. Like her dad was right there with her. Taking the key that she had plucked from the garage wall, she turned the key in the ignition, laughing blissfully when the motorcycle roared to life beneath her. 

Cheryl bit her lip and took a few steps back, not too fond of the loud noise. But Toni was happy, and that made her happy too. 

“You wanna get on?” the pink haired girl asked loud enough to hear over the rumble.

She hesitated, a bit unsure. But she trusted Toni. Toni looked happy, so there wasn’t anything to be afraid of. And Toni would never hurt her. She reached for her outstretched hand and stumbled a bit trying to kick her leg over the bike. She was still unstable enough on two legs, let alone just one. But she was sitting behind Toni comfortably before she knew it, feeling the rumbling vibration throughout her whole body as she started to giggle as well.

“Wanna go for a ride around town?” Toni turned back to face her, making herself heard over the engine. And with Cheryl’s excited nod of approval, she quickly got off the bike, grabbing her old helmet and the one they kept here for Betty. “This is a helmet,” she explained, bringing it back over to Cheryl, “It might be a little uncomfortable, but it’s gonna help keep you safe.”

“I am safe,” Cheryl nodded in agreement, grinning from ear to ear as Toni placed the helmet over her head. It was heavy and made it hard to keep her head up, but Toni looked so happy. So she was happy too. 

Toni placed her own helmet on her head and got back on the bike in front of Cheryl, revving the engine a little. “Hold on to me tight, okay?,” she instructed loudly as she flipped up the kickstand, turning back to face the open garage door. She waited until Cheryl’s arms were securely around her waist before she rolled forward, taking off at a reasonable speed down the street. She could feel the redhead’s grip tightening around her stomach and she just hoped that she wasn’t afraid. She couldn’t exactly turn back and check on her, so all she had to rely on was body language. 

Cheryl did as she said and held on tight all the way from the house to the little gas station a few blocks over where Toni pulled over, cutting off the engine. She waited for the rumble to die down as she took off her helmet, swiftly getting off the bike to check on Cheryl. “You okay?” she laughed a little after seeing the smile from under the redhead’s helmet.

“Yes, I am okay,” Cheryl giggled.

“Were you scared?”

“I was a little bit scared, but I am with you, so I know I am safe,” she stated with a sure nod, her dainty pale fingers coming up to grip Toni’s forearms excitedly. Her nails dug lightly dug into her skin, keeping her grip as the pinkette kissed her gently. She’d never get sick of kissing Toni.

“Think you’ll be okay to ride around town?” she asked with a warm smile, kissing her once more as she tightened the strap under her Cheryl’s chin. And when she nodded with excitement on her face, Toni just bit her lip to keep her grin from spreading and got back on the bike, pulling her helmet back over her head and starting the bike back up again.

**xxx**

Peace wasn’t something that Toni felt often. She didn’t think she had _ever_ felt it. At least not that she could remember, and certainly not recently. But the moment she was in right now could only be described as peaceful. With the warm ocean breeze flowing through her hair, the sun setting slowly over the horizon, the comforting sounds of seagulls and ocean waves, and the feeling of sand between her toes, there was no other way to describe how she felt besides ‘peaceful’. And Cheryl’s playful giggles in the distance only made it better.

Toni watched from her seat in the sand as the redhead splashed around in waves that lapped at the shore, laughing whenever one hit her too hard and splashed higher than she expected, causing Cheryl to shriek and laugh even more. The nineteen year old had plenty of happy memories from this little slice of beach behind the houses she used to live in. But watching Cheryl, happier than she’d ever seen her as she chased seagulls in her favorite cherry print t-shirt, Toni could practically feel her brain storing this moment as just another happy memory for her to look back on later. 

She watched the sky turn different shades of orange and purple, making it look like something out of a painting. She never appreciated the sunsets here until she didn’t get to see them anymore. Sure, the city had it’s moments, but to Toni, nothing could compare to the beach at sunset. 

She wasn’t sure how long she had been watching the sky change colors, but it was long enough for Cheryl to run up to her unnoticed and tackle her into the sand, still giggling uncontrollably. 

“What’s gotten into you?” the older girl laughed along with her as she sat back up, brushing the sand from her arms. The glimmer of her mother’s locket caught her eye as it swung delicately from around her pale neck.

“I am just very happy,” Cheryl shrugged, cuddling as close to her as she could get as she laced their fingers together. 

Toni smiled at her, watching her inspect the purple nail polish on her tan fingers. She may not have been as vocal about it, but she had to admit she was pretty happy too. And she can’t remember the last time she was able to say that. “Are you really?” she reached up to tuck hair from Cheryl’s loosened ponytail behind her ear.

“Yes, Toni. I am very happy. I am here with you,” she grinned back at her, biting her lip gently. She watched Toni’s features soften as her cheeks tinted pink. She was bringing her hand up to trace along the pink spots in her face when Toni’s lips met with hers, causing her to drop her hand and let out a whimper of pleasure instead. She loved kissing Toni, but she loved being kissed _by_ her so much more. It gave her butterflies in her stomach knowing that Toni wanted to kiss her too. 

“Toni?” she mumbled after they pulled back.

“Hm?”

“Why did you stop coming in the water?” 

Toni’s eyes snapped up to meet hers, swallowing the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat. “Um...after what happened that day...I dunno, I just never wanted to go back in,” she swallowed again and turned back to face the setting sun. “I think a part off me was angry at it, as weird as that sounds. I guess I figured that if I blamed the ocean for what happened, then I’d feel less guilty.” 

She felt Cheryl squeeze her hand comfortingly as her other hand came up to rake through her hair. She’d never really talked to anyone about how she truly felt. She didn’t want to burden anyone or bring them down. But something about Cheryl made talking about it seem so easy. “I’ve been kind of scared too, I guess. I mean, almost dying at sea as a kid is pretty scary. I’ve had a problem with storms and the ocean ever since.”

“The ocean can be scary. She has your uncle’s temper.”

“The ocean’s a ‘she’?” the pinkette chuckled.

“She gives life. She is home to many creatures,” Cheryl nodded in all seriousness, “You get angry sometimes. But most of the time, you are calm and nice. And always beautiful.”

Toni’s eyebrows raised a bit at Cheryl’s insightful comment. She never thought about it that way. Then again, she’d never thought of the ocean as a person before. But looking at it through Cheryl’s point of view, it made sense. Like herself, the ocean could get scary and harsh, causing her to do and say things that she didn’t mean. The school counselor used to tell her that her father’s passing was no one’s fault. Not hers, not the ocean’s. Things unfortunately just happen in life that we can’t control. And she could never bring herself to accept that. But now here she was years later, getting better coping advice than she’d ever gotten before from a mermaid she’d known for a week.

“You’re pretty smart, you know that?” she snorted a light laugh and nudged Cheryl gently with her shoulder. 

“My parents are smart. So I am smart,” the redhead giggled, looking back at the sky that was starting to turn to a deep purple with a few stars already starting to shine. “What were your parents like, Toni?”

The pink haired girl stiffened beside her, not expecting the question. It nearly made her heart stop beating in her chest as her body went cold. No one had asked her about her parents in years. Everyone else knew better than to bring them up. It was one thing for her to talk about them on her own, but she tended to clam up when it was someone else’s idea. Especially when she wasn’t expecting it. 

“I am sorry, I know you do not like to talk about your parents,” Cheryl’s voice broke the silence between them, squeezing her hand again.

“No...No, it’s okay. I just...I’m not used to talking about them, so I don’t really know what to say,” she shrugged with a hint of a smile, “I don’t really remember a lot. I was only three when my mom died. She, um...she got really sick, and she died before the doctors could do anything about it. All I have is photos of stuff I don’t even remember.” She swallowed thickly, feeling warm tears start to form in her eyes. But she kept them down like she normally did. 

“My dad was my best friend. You hear a lot about dads who aren’t there for their kids, or walk out on them when things get rough, but he wasn’t like that. He was _there_. He helped me with homework, he tucked me in every night...” she laughed a little as a memory wormed its way into the front of her brain, “He used to do this whole thing where he would check for monsters in my room before I went to bed. He even made this little spray bottle that was basically a little bit of his cologne diluted down with water. He would say that monsters were afraid of him, so if they smelled him around, they wouldn’t bother me. That’s just...what he did. He was real with me, y’know? He didn’t tell me that there weren’t any monsters. He played along and helped me face my fears while still keeping my imagination alive.”

Cheryl rubbed up and down her arm soothingly, remaining quiet as Toni spoke.

“I remember the night before he died...I told him that I was a big girl and he didn’t need to check for monsters anymore. But...I would’ve let him do it if I knew it was the last t-“ her voice caught in her throat, a quiet sob escaping instead as she lost all control. Toni _never_ cried. And she definitely never cried in front of anyone. Not like this. Everyone saw her as the broken little orphan girl whose parents died in two separate tragedies. And she’d always put up such a hard front, not wanting to be seen as weak. Even if people could see right through her, she refused to show any weakness to anyone. She didn’t want to be seen as the broken little orphan.

The tears wouldn’t stop. The floodgates had been opened and she was defenseless against them. And the feeling of Cheryl pulling her trembling body against hers, as comforting as it was, only made her cry harder. Gentle hands trailed up and down her back as she wet Cheryl’s shoulder with her long-repressed tears. Meanwhile her own shaking hands were gripping onto whatever they could, whether it be the sand beneath them or the soft fabric of Cheryl’s shirt. 

What surprised Toni the most was how she didn’t even feel bad or embarrassed about letting someone else see her like this. With anyone else, she could simply tear up and apologize for getting so emotional. But right now she felt good, oddly enough. It actually felt good to cry and let go and just let herself _feel_ something for the first time in what felt like forever. And for once, she wasn’t alone for it. 

Her breathing was ragged as she tried to calm herself down, focusing on the feeling of Cheryl’s warm hands rubbing up and down her back or the tune she was humming quietly in her ear.

_Wait..._

“H-how do you know that song?” she picked her heavy head up to look at the younger girl, causing her to stop humming.

“Cheryl played it,” the redhead uttered quietly, keeping her hands trailing up and down Toni’s back, “Good afternoon, Manhattan. My name is Cheryl.”

“You heard it on the radio?” Toni straightened up, wiping at her eyes.

“Yes. After Betty came to take me back to Riverdale, you turned the music on and Cheryl played it. It made me feel better, I thought it would make you happy too,” she explained with a small, sympathetic smile as she ran her fingers through her pink hair.

“That was my mom’s favorite song,” she sniffled, though a small grin came to her face, “It used to calm me down and make me feel better too.”

The redhead bit her lip and reached up to fiddle with the locket around her neck, popping the pendant open carefully. “Your mother was very beautiful,” she commented quietly, running her fingertip over the small photo in the golden frame. 

“Yeah, she was,” Toni peered over to look at the picture as well. Though, it was hard to see now that the sun had gone down. And the moon could only provide so much light. But the photo, as well as the space around them turned a shade of pink. Then green. Then blue. 

“Toni, look!” Cheryl pointed off in the distance, wide-eyed and grinning at the fireworks that were being set off from a boat about a mile from shore.

Furrowing her brows, Toni wiped her eyes one last time before checking the date on her phone. “Oh yeah, it must be the last day of summer vacation. They usually do a big party on the boardwalk and fireworks for the kids in town before they go back to school.”

“It is so pretty,” Cheryl sat up straighter as her eyes focused on the display of lights in the sky.

Toni bit her lip and watched the light from the fireworks paint her face different colors, adding more glimmer to her already bright and shiny eyes. It was as if the past few minutes of Toni’s pain and heartache had never happened. Not that she felt like her feelings had been brushed aside or forgotten. They just weren’t dwelling on them. Whenever she would talk about her parents to people, it was so hard to change the subject, and the conversations would end in awkward silence more often than not. But as usual, Cheryl was proving to her that it didn’t have to be like that. She could talk about them and grieve without being sad for the rest of the day. Mourning didn’t have to be a long process if she didn’t want it to be.

Cheryl’s head came down to rest on her shoulder as she cuddled up closer for warmth, humming in content as Toni draped an arm around her shoulders to keep her close. Their faces illuminated with the bright colors in the sky while they sat in silence, listening to the waves and the fireworks popping in the distance. And Toni was sure she’d be perfectly fine staying in this moment forever.

“Toni?”

“Hm?”

Cheryl picked her head up, turning to face her with an expression that Toni couldn’t read. “Can I love you now?” 

Toni searched her eyes as her heart thumped rapidly against her rib cage. The realistic part of her told her to say no and tell Cheryl that it just wouldn’t work. But the romantic in her wanted nothing more than to say yes and tell her that she loved her too. She wasn’t sure which part of herself to listen to, but she decided to let the voices fade into the back of her mind as she pressed her lips softly against hers, just wanting to be here in the moment with Cheryl and no worries about what only time could tell.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry for the late update. I’ve been battling the stomach flu and finally got the energy to post.

The bright sunshine streamed through the curtains of Toni’s old bedroom, forcing the pink haired girl out of her slumber. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept in on a Monday. Even as a teenager, if she wasn’t getting up early for school, she was working sunrise shifts at Pop’s over the summer to make some of her own money since she wasn’t allowed access to the money her parents left her until she turned eighteen. She was just glad that even through all the chaos of the weekend, she remembered to email her boss that she wouldn’t be going into work today. 

Today was her day to work out a plan for herself. She had to go back to the city to get some of her things and start packing. But god forbid Veronica was there, she didn’t want to take Cheryl with her and put her through whatever drama was bound to go down at the apartment. 

She realized quickly that the redhead was missing. As of lately, Toni was getting used to waking up with the younger girl cuddled up to her side or laying on her chest. But now, she was nowhere to be found. 

“Cher?” she say up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, glancing around the bedroom with her eyebrows knit together. She threw the covers off and did a quick stretch before getting up to look for her. It made her a little nervous, considering last time she went looking for Cheryl like this, she had run away without a trace. She couldn’t exactly get lost in the city this time, but the ocean was right in the backyard and let’s face it, that was her home. 

Padding down to the first floor, Toni looked around, not hearing any sign of life even in the house. She knew that F.P. and Jughead were both at work this morning, but where would Cheryl be? “Cheryl, where are you?” she called out, going back upstairs. She checked the bathroom, Jughead’s room, even the hall closet. The only place in the house she hadn’t looked yet was F.P.’s room. She doubted Cheryl would be in there, but it was worth a shot to look.

She opened the door to the master bedroom, peering in to look around for the head of flaming red hair with no luck. She was starting to panic as she stepped into the room, walking around the dirty clothes on the floor on her way to the en suite, her last hope. 

“Oh, shit, sorry,” she jumped back and averted her gaze as soon as she walked through the door. She was hoping that if she found Cheryl she would calm down, but walking in on the girl in the jacuzzi tub with her chest bare and her tail out only made her heart rate go up. “I’ll, um...I’ll leave you alo-“

“It is okay, Toni,” the mermaid smiled and moved to lean against the side of the bathtub, folding her arms over the edge as she giggled up at the flustered woman.

“What are you, um...what are you doing in here? This is my uncle’s room and there’s a bathroom across from my room you could’ve used,” she mumbled awkwardly, trying not to stare at the iridescent tail that, if it had eyes, would be staring right back at her. 

“I am sorry. I did not want to wake you,” Cheryl bit her lip with a bit of guilt etched on her face, “And the other bath was too small.”

“Oh...okay,” she nodded, standing with her arms folded over her chest, casting her eyes to the floor. That was the safest option right now. She knew Cheryl was a mermaid, it’s not like she was surprised to see her with a tail. But the only other times she’d seen her with a tail before were when she was drowning as a kid and right before she fainted two days ago. Now she had the chance to get a good look at the redhead’s truest form, but she just couldn’t bring herself to look at it.

“Toni?” 

“Hm?” 

“I am going to return home,” her voice was quiet and meek, like she was afraid of what Toni’s reaction would be. 

The pink-haired girl’s head snapped up and stared straight at her. Suddenly the tail wasn’t her biggest concern anymore. “What? Why? I-I mean, I thought you wanted to stay here,” she crossed the bathroom to sit on the lid of the toilet seat, “Not that I wanna force you to stay or anything but I-“

She was cut off by the mermaid’s playful giggling again as she shifted in the jacuzzi tub, still leaning on the edge, but closer to where Toni was seated. “I do want to stay here. I am just going home to say goodbye to my family and my friends.”

“Oh...are you sure? I mean, the ocean’s your home.”

“ _You_ are my home,” the mermaid rested her head against her folded arms with a smile, her tail flipping gently over the far end of the tub.

Toni felt her face heat up with an intense blush at her words, but found her eyes fixed on the iridescent scales again before she could say anything in return. It still hadn’t sunk in that Cheryl was a living, breathing mermaid. She was so used to seeing her with legs that even though she knew the truth, it hadn’t felt truly _real_ until now. It was kind of like Josie, who she met through Veronica. She had heard that Josie was a great singer, and she believed it. But hearing her sing for the first time just solidified the fact in her head.

“You are staring, Toni,” Cheryl bit her lip as her own cheeks tinted pink.

The older girl averted her eyes again, clearing her throat as she could feel the tingle of adrenaline in the tips of her fingers. “Sorry. It’s just...a little weird, I guess, seeing you with a...” she trailed off and watched Cheryl cock her head in confusion as she stared at her with wide, curious eyes, “Y’know, a tail.”

The redhead glanced back over her shoulder at her fins, running her delicate fingers over the silver scales while Toni took notice to the gold locket she was holding in her other hand. 

“Does it hurt? Like...when you go back and forth from tail to legs?”

Cheryl shook her head with a bit of a shrug, looking back at her. “It feels...strange, but it does not hurt. I cannot explain it.”

Toni just nodded in understanding, letting her eyes wander back and forth between Cheryl’s eyes and her tail. “So...with the locket...you have a tail when you don’t wear it and you have legs when you do?”

“Sort of. If I do not have it on and I get wet, then I lose my legs. But if I am wearing the locket, I keep them,” she rested her chin on her forearms again, smiling up at the girl she loved.

“So, if you were to put the locket on now, you’d just...magically grow a pair of legs?” the pinkette chuckled. That explained her running back to the apartment so fast when it started to rain on Saturday. She still couldn’t believe she was sitting in her uncle’s bathroom with a mermaid in the tub. This was some weird childhood dream come true. 

“Mmhm,” Cheryl nodded, adjusting her position in the tub again so her fins were draped over the edge, closer to where Toni was sitting. Her eyes searched the older girl’s flushed, tan face, wondering what she was thinking. Only a select few mer-people had magical powers, but right now she was wishing she had the power to read minds. 

“I you mind if I...I mean, c-can, I...um,” Toni stammered, moving a little closer, “Can I...touch it?”

With an eager nod of her head, Cheryl’s eyes twinkled as she sat up moving closer so Toni wouldn’t have to reach over as much. She watched as Toni took her lip between her teeth, something she’d grown to notice that she did when she was nervous, or uncertain of something. Slender, tan fingers trembled as she reached her hand up, slowly reaching over towards the scales that shimmered under the bathroom light. 

Cheryl didn’t have to have a mind-reading power to know that Toni was nervous. She could understand, though. She’d lived her whole life knowing that humans were real, walking around on land with legs and feet. But Toni grew up being told that mermaids didn’t exist. She didn’t really blame her for being nervous to touch the tail of one. 

Moving slowly to avoid frightening Toni further, she reached for her hand, gently lacing their fingers together as she smiled reassuringly. She watched as a small, apprehensive smile spread across her face before she pulled her hand in closer, still moving at a snail’s pace. Their fingers untangled just enough for Toni to be able to touch her on her own while Cheryl continued to guide her gently.

“Whoa,” the pinkette let out a shuddering breath as her eyebrows raised to her hairline. She was the daughter of a fisherman, she’d touched plenty of fish in her life to not be creeped out at the feeling. But this was entirely different. The scales seemed to glow under her touch as Cheryl held on carefully to the back of her hand, aiding her in feeling around the smooth surface. Goosebumps raised on her skin. The room was so quiet she felt like she could hear the hairs on her arms raising. It was just so surreal knowing that this was the exact tail she saw when five year old Cheryl was lifting her out of the rapid ocean water thirteen years ago. 

“How long are you gonna be gone for?” Toni asked, breaking the silence as she kept trailing her fingers up and down the tail.

“I will not be gone for long. I was going to leave this morning and come back tomorrow,” Cheryl explained and took her hand off Toni’s to reach for a fork that was hidden behind her, starting to comb through her hair with it. 

“I might head back to New York after you leave...Maybe start packing up some of my stuff and start looking for a new apartment,” the pink haired girl shrugged, smiling a bit to herself as Cheryl combed her hair, “I’ll come back here tomorrow after work, though. We might have to spend a few nights here until I can figure something out. I’ll still have to go to work, so you’ll have to stay here while I’m gone during the day if that’s okay.”

Cheryl just nodded and adjusted herself in the tub again, causing her tail to slide out from under Toni’s touch and back into the water so she could lean over the edge to kiss her, grinning excitedly against her lips. “I get to live with you. I am happy.”

Toni smiled into the innocent kisses, taking in every bit of Cheryl she could before she left. Part of her was nervous about her leaving, but she knew that she would come back to her. Cheryl loved her. Toni was still struggling with how she felt, but she knew how Cheryl felt for sure. 

She would come back.

**xxx**

After hearing the lock click open, Toni sighed and entered the apartment she used to call home, just praying that Veronica wasn’t home. She had already had a bit of an emotional morning after Cheryl left. Just watching the redhead dive into the ocean had Toni’s heart aching with both fear and longing for her to come back already. She hadn’t cried or put up a fuss when she stood on the beach and saw Cheryl off, but ever since, she couldn’t shake the nagging feeling in her chest that she should have told her how she felt before she left. Instead, when Cheryl told her that she loved her, Toni just placed a slow and gentle kiss to her lips as a response. Maybe it was a cop out, but she just wasn’t ready to say it back.

 _“What, no ‘good luck’?”_ she remembered smirking when Cheryl had turned to head into the water.

_“No ‘good luck’, Toni. I will see you again soon.”_

She smiled at the memory from just a few hours ago, biting her lip as she set her backpack down on the table.

“So apparently a text back is too much to ask?” Veronica appeared from the hallway, her long silk robe trailing behind her, “Seriously, Toni, I thought you were dead.”

“I was busy. And y’know, kinda mad at you for the shit you did,” she rolled her eyes sarcastically.

Veronica just crossed her arms over her chest, clenching her jaw defensively. But when she saw how defeated and worn out Toni looked as she walked farther into the apartment, she couldn’t help but soften up a bit. “Did you find Cheryl?”

“Yes.”

“Is she okay?”

“Do you really care, V? Cause last I checked, you couldn’t be bothered to care about what happened to her as long as she was out of the apartment and away from me,” Toni snapped with ice in her tone and fire in her eyes.

“I was trying to he-“

“Well, stop trying to help me, Ronnie! I can handle myself! Do you really think that if I thought Cheryl was dangerous that I would let her sleep here? Especially after you had decided to go stay with Reggie, leaving me here alone? I’m not as naive as you like to think I am.”

Veronica was silent as she watching Toni make her way past her and down the hall to her bedroom, letting her say what she had to say.

“But you don’t have to worry about me anymore. I’m getting my own place,” Toni continued, her voice more deflated as she shook her head and opened the door to her room.

Veronica just leaned against the doorframe, watching as the shorter girl pulled her suitcase out of her closet. “With Cheryl?”

“Yes, with Cheryl. Look, Veronica, you might not understand, but I lo-“ she stopped herself, staring into her empty suitcase for a few moments as she gathered her thoughts, “I really like her, okay? I know you don’t get it, you don’t understand how I could possibly take interest in a random person who just showed up at our door. But...it’s more complicated than how it sounds.”

“All I ever wanted was honesty, Toni.”

“I was hon-“

“Cut the shit, no you weren’t. You told me she was an old friend from high school. And we both know damn well that that’s not the truth. Riverdale’s not a big town. You told me yourself, everybody knows everybody. If you knew who she was, you would know exactly who to call to take her back.”

Toni stared into the closet, a little embarrassed that she had been caught in a lie. Now she wasn’t even sure what to say. She was too tired to fight back at this point. But she wouldn’t cry. Not in front of Veronica. “I told you what I could. I _couldn’t_ be completely honest, because I didn’t know anything either. But everything I knew, I told you. I tried to keep you in the loop because I knew her being here was an inconvenience to you. But you _refused_ to give her a chance! All you did was talk shit about her when she didn’t do a damn thing to you besides walk through the door. And maybe you’re right, maybe I’ve gone soft. But I’d rather be soft than live my life being a rude, entitled ass to everyone who doesn’t look like me, or act like me, or have as much money as I do. Cause that’s just bullshit.”

Veronica remained quiet, swallowing the lump in her throat as Toni continued to pack up her things as she thought about what to say. “So, what? You’re moving out because I’m wasn’t as nice to her as I could’ve been?”

“I’m moving out for a few reasons. One, I can afford it. Two, you can pretend all you want, but I know you’re not comfortable with Cheryl living here. And three, yeah, you weren’t as nice to her as you could’ve been. Cheryl’s different, she’s _special_ , Ronnie. She doesn’t know about a lot of the shit that’s happened in this world. She hasn’t experienced enough to be bitter and jaded like the rest of us. And I’ll be damned if I let her live somewhere that is gonna do that to her.”

“Well, you’re better off not looking in the city, then. You think I’m an asshole to her? Face it, Toni, she’s gonna get chewed up and spit out here. You’re better off just moving back to Riverdale.”

The truth struck the pink haired girl hard. She knew Veronica was right. If she was trying to protect Cheryl from rude, uncaring people and scary situations, the city was the last place she should be looking for apartments. But Riverdale...being there for the weekend was one thing. It was a nice little vacation. But it brought back so many painful memories, whether they were of her parents or shitty experiences she had growing up. “Maybe you’re right,” she whispered, subtly wiping a stray tear from her cheek.

“I don’t want to lose you as a friend, Toni. And I hate that she’s coming between us,” Veronica said as gently as she could, moving across the room to sit on the queen sized bed, “I’m not trying to be a villain here and I hate that you’re painting me that way. I’ve always protected you ever since we met, and I was always the bad guy when you needed me to be.”

“I know that. And I appreciate it, but...I didn’t need you to be this time. I just wish you would have realized that I needed a friend. Not a hero.” 

Toni’s voice was smaller than Veronica had ever heard it, taking her a bit by surprise. But she pursed her lips together and nodded, running her hand along the ruffled comforter, “Well, I guess this is it, then.”

“I still have to go to work. I’m spending the night tonight and going to work tomorrow but I’m gonna order a U-Haul or something to take my stuff back to Riverdale until I can find a place,” her voice was flat as she folded her clothes neatly. She had all day to pack, she wasn’t in a rush. 

“If this is really what you want then...let me know if I can help with anything,” the raven haired girl sighed before getting up and moving back down the hall, leaving Toni alone in her room with her thoughts. 

The younger girl groaned quietly to herself, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her palms as she tried to ward off the headache that she knew was coming. She wished she could contact Cheryl somehow and just see if she was okay or let her know that she missed her so much already and couldn’t wait for her to come back. 

With a quiet sniffle, Toni leaned back against the edge of her bed, pulling her knees up to curl into herself as she unlocked her phone and opened her camera roll. She couldn’t hide the sad smile that spread on her face when she slid her thumb across the screen, going through the photos she’d taken recently. Some of just Cheryl, some of her and Cheryl, some of her that Cheryl had insisted on taking, despite not knowing how. There was a video that Cheryl had taken on accident last night during the fireworks when she had decided to get up and run off with her phone. 

_“Cheryl, give it back, come on!”_ she could hear herself laughing in the background as the redhead’s giggles made it sound like she was right by the speaker. But the video itself was just blurry snippets of sand, water, and fireworks. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt so carefree, running around on the beach like she would as a kid.

A gleeful shriek came from her phone as she watched the screen turn black with a few splashes of color, the lens apparently pointed up towards the sky. She remembered Cheryl tripping and falling last night, dropping her phone into the sand beside her as they both laughed loudly, not caring about making too much noise. 

_“Are you okay?”_ her own voice asked, her voice peppered with giggles. She couldn’t see herself on screen, but she knew she was kneeling beside Cheryl, who had pulled her down for a kiss just a few seconds later. And Toni couldn’t help but laugh at the memory of what happened next.

_”I am- **hic** \- okay,”_ Cheryl continued to giggle, laughing harder as she was overcome with a fit of hiccups. _“T-Toni, what is- **hic** \- happening to me?”_

_”You just have the hiccups, you need to calm down,”_ she heard her own laugh on screen, just a little louder than Cheryl’s just before the video cut off. 

Sighing quietly to herself, Toni stretched her knees out and put some music on her phone instead, trying to focus on packing instead of missing Cheryl. 

She would come back. 


	19. Chapter 19

**Day One**

“Thanks for your help, Jug,” Toni smiled at her childhood friend as he helped her get her suitcase up the stairs. After waking up alone and having to endure a whole day of work, she was eager to just relax in her room or on the beach with Cheryl. Only problem is, it was close to seven pm and she was still no where to be found. “You sure you haven’t seen or heard from Cheryl? She should’ve been back by now,” she frowned, setting her suitcase on the floor by her closet. All she had left in the New York apartment was her bigger furniture, but she had arranged for a U-Haul to bring them to a storage unit for her over the weekend.

“Anytime, T,” he wiped his hands on his jeans and sat on the edge of the bed, “I haven’t seen her since two nights ago when you guys came back in from the beach.”

Toni’s lips twisted curiously to the side as her shoulders slumped.

“You said she was going to visit her family? Why don’t you just go see her? She’s from Riverdale, isn’t she? Or her family is?”

“I-I don’t know where they live,” she chuckled nervously. Jughead didn’t know the truth. No one did. Maybe Cheryl was just waiting until nighttime to come back. From what Toni had heard from her, she had washed up on shore in the middle of the night, bare as a newborn baby when she first arrived. Maybe she was just waiting until the sun went down. Toni would have to remind herself to bring her some clothes.

“You don’t know how to use a phone book?” Jughead quirked an eyebrow at her, making her roll her eyes.

“A phone book? Seriously, Jug, join us in the twenty first century for a change,” the younger girl laughed and sat down beside him, glancing around the pale blue room.

“Do you have a plan yet?”

“No, not really. I guess I’ll just keep going to work like normal and search for a place to live while I have time,” she sighed, leaning back on her arms and swinging her legs gently. 

“You know you can stay here for as long as you want, Toni,” Jughead nudged her shoulder with his own.

“I know,” she nodded, pursing her lips into a straight line.

“I mean it. You and Cheryl are both welcome. Dad’s really only interacted with her once, but he can tell she makes you happy.”

Toni’s heart beat a little faster in her chest as her cheeks heated up with a blush. “She’s not my girlfriend or anything,” she muttered, looking down at her lap. 

“Whether she is or not, Dad said he hasn’t seen you smile like you were over the weekend since you were a little kid. And I gotta agree with him. Whatever that girl is to you, I think she’d be good to keep around.”

Looking up at him, the pinkette just smiled, slowly nodding in agreement, “Yeah, I guess so.”

The boy who was like a brother to her just wrapped her in a hug and kissed the top of her head, squeezing her once more before getting up. “Anything else you want me to bring in from the car?” 

“No, I think we got it all. I’m, uh...I’m gonna go sit on the beach for a little bit,” she followed him in getting up, moving to her suitcase to pick out some clothes for Cheryl to put on whenever she showed back up.

“Okay. I’m gonna go bring Betty some dinner at work. Want me to bring you back anything from Pop’s?”

“No thanks, Jug,” she shook her head and knelt by her suitcase, unzipping it so sift through the clothes she had stuffed inside.

“Call me if you change your mind,” he waved her off and trudged downstairs after closing the door behind him. 

Toni quickly changed out of her work clothes, dressing herself in a pair of denim shorts and a loose tank top instead. Every now and then she would glance out the window, hoping to see the head of flaming red hair making its way up the beach. She didn’t mind going to wait for her, but it would be nice to know that Cheryl was back and safe.

By the time she made it downstairs, Jughead had already left, leaving her alone until Cheryl came back or F.P. returned from his AA meeting, whichever came first. The sun was starting to set as she ran out the back door, letting the sand seep between her toes with each step she took off the back deck. Sighing happily, she took a seat just a few feet from where the waves were lapping gently at the shore, smiling to herself while the breeze blew through her hair.

She thought about what she would say to Cheryl when she came back. She’d been thinking about it since she left. She may not have been ready to say it out loud, but she knew that what she felt for Cheryl was stronger than just a crush. But it was too soon for her to say she loved her. They’d only know each other for a week. Cheryl said she loved her, but she didn’t know any better. But Toni had to admit that what she told Cheryl about the difference between loving someone and being _in_ love, it was hitting closer to home with each passing day. 

So what if she told her that she loved her back? What would happen then? It’s not like Cheryl would run in the opposite direction and cut off all ties with her. She had already told her how she felt. Now the ball was in Toni’s court. So why did she feel so much pressure?

Maybe it was because it just wasn’t the norm to fall in love with a complete stranger after only a week. Not to mention a stranger that just so happened to also be a mermaid. This wasn’t a Disney movie. Maybe it was Toni’s crippling fear of commitment. She was no stranger to abandonment, and unfortunately that caused her to leave people the minute she would sense that they might leave her first. Cheryl was too good for all her emotional bullshit. She deserved better.

_Stop it, Toni. That girl has seen you at your worst and still looks at you like you’re the only person in the world who matters to her. She loves you unconditionally. You can deny it all you want, but you love her too._

She leaned her chin on her knees and watched the sun start to hit the horizon, squinting in the bright orange glow. What was the worst that could happen if she told Cheryl how she felt? They get together and maybe break up in the future? But on the other hand, there was the chance that she and the redhead could live happily ever after, working together through every obstacle that came their way. That’s what they had been doing so far, right?

Maybe it was time for her to stop closing herself off from everyone. Somehow, she had learned to trust Cheryl faster than she’d ever learned to trust anyone recently. That was big. Huge, even, as trust wasn’t something that came to Toni easily. 

“Come on, Cher, hurry up,” she sighed, whispering into the breeze as the sun continued to set. She wanted to see her, she wanted to kiss her, hold her all night and repeat every night for the rest of her life. And just like Harry said to Sally, she wanted it to start as soon as possible. 

The anticipation only made the hours pass by slower. The sun had gone down, she’d taken at least two bathroom breaks, and Cheryl was still nowhere to be found. Toni had gotten up and walked along the shore to stretch her legs while also searching for her. It was getting late. Way too late for her to get a good night’s sleep before work in the morning. Especially since she had to leave over an hour early now just to make it on time. 

Checking her phone, she bit her lip at the time. It was after midnight. Close to one AM. And she had to admit she was getting tired. But she didn’t want to leave Cheryl alone if she turned up.

_**When** she turns up. She’s coming back. She said she would._

Rubbing her eyes, Toni pulled her hoodie tighter against her, keeping her vision focused on the calm waves, hoping to see a set of fins flipping in the distance. But it was so hard to stay focused when she was so tired...

**Day Two**

“Toni. Toni, wake up.”

She felt her arm being shaken as she started to blink her eyes open, scrunching her face up in displeasure when she saw her uncle looking down at her. Where the hell was she?

“F.P.?” she mumbled as she sat up. She could feel little grains of sand in her mouth as well as in her hair and on her hands and legs. She must have fallen asleep on the beach last night waiting for Cheryl. “What time is it?” She sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and the sand from her hair. The sun wasn’t up yet.

“About five-thirty. You have a rough night last night or somethin’? Not every day you pass out on the beach,” he held his hand out to help her up to her feet, brushing the sand off the sleeves of her sweatshirt. 

“Yeah, I guess,” she chuckled nervously, glancing around for any sign of Cheryl. If she had come back, she would have woken her up, right? “You haven’t seen Cheryl...have you?”

“Not since Sunday night. Jug said she went to go visit her family?” the older man sipped at his thermos of coffee.

“Yeah. But...she said she would be back yesterday. I’m just worried, I guess.”

F.P. just nodded and pat her back affectionately, “I’m sure she’ll be back. You wanna come out on the water with me while you wa-?”

“No,” she shook her head, answering faster than he could even get his question out as she stepped back and away from him, averting her gaze to the sand below her feet. 

“Right. Stupid question, sorry,” he sighed, shuffling his feet a little. 

She saw the twinge of pain behind his sunken eyes when she looked back up at him and couldn’t help but feel a little bad. “Sorry, I just wanna be here whenever Cheryl gets back,” she muttered, wrapping her arms around herself.

Her uncle just nodded his head and pat her on the shoulder before starting to walk off towards the dock, leaving her behind. 

“F.P.?” Toni called after him, taking a small step forward and waiting until he turned around to listen to her, “If you see anything...weird out on the water this morning can you let me know?” 

“Uh...okay. Will do, kid,” he nodded before walking towards the dock again. 

Toni shivered as she watched him walk off. She didn’t know where Cheryl was, but she just hoped that she was all right. Maybe she just lost track of time. Maybe time worked differently in the ocean. She continued to think of every possible excuse as she started to walk back up the beach and back towards the house, looking over her shoulder at the ocean every few seconds. She needed some coffee and a shower. And she definitely couldn’t handle going to work today.

**Day Four**

She hadn’t been to work since Tuesday. She couldn’t leave Riverdale. Not without knowing anything about Cheryl’s whereabouts. At this point, Toni was more concerned with just _seeing_ Cheryl again rather than making sure that the mermaid wasn’t left alone whenever she came back to land.

She was getting too reacquainted with the four walls of her old bedroom, spending most of her time sitting at the windowsill watching the waves roll into the shore. There were nights over the past few days that she would start to lose hope that she would ever see Cheryl again. After countless hours of wondering whether the redhead was hurt or just didn’t want to return, Toni could just feel that glimmer of hope in her start to diminish. She kept telling herself to give it time, that Cheryl would be back. But as she started to sleep less and less, call in to work and spend her days and nights watching the water, it was getting harder to tell herself to keep believing that. 

After showering for the first time in days, Toni wiped the foggy mirror, taking in her appearance. She hadn’t seen herself so worn out since high school. She had bags under her eyes, her skin was dull and lifeless. She looked just about as exhausted as she felt. And for the first time, she didn’t rush to her window to check for footprints in the sand. Instead she just stared into her own sunken brown eyes, wondering what the hell she was supposed to do now.

**Day Seven**

Her phone was ringing on the nightstand and she couldn’t even be bothered to answer it. It was the ringtone she had set specifically for work. She had set it to the most obnoxious, irritating ringtone she could find, knowing she wouldn’t sleep through it if she got called for something after hours.

But she let it ring, the shrill alarm sound not even fazing her as she stared at the wall across from where she was laying. It was raining today, so her room wasn’t nearly as illuminated as it would be on a Monday morning. But Toni didn’t mind. She’d been missing out on sunny days all week. At least today, she didn’t have to feel bad about staying in.

She didn’t even notice her phone had stopped ringing until she heard the little chime of her voicemail notification. Her barely beating heart felt like it was lodged in her throat as she rolled over, picking up her phone and letting her thumb hover over the notification bar. She had a feeling she knew what this was.

_“Toni, this is Mr. Sampson. I’m afraid we’re going to have to let you go. You’ve missed deadlines, you’ve missed a whole week of work with no reason as to why...It’s not the kind of energy we need on our team. You’ll still receive your last two weeks pay via direct deposit on Friday, but I’m afraid this is where we part ways.”_

She heard the click of her boss’s office phone before she sighed and put her phone face down back on the nightstand, rolling over to try to go back to sleep. 

She just didn’t care anymore.

**Day Ten**

“Toni?” Betty knocks gently on the door, frowning at the lump under the comforter before whispering to Jughead beside her, “How long has it been since she’s gotten out of bed?”

He just sighed and shook his head with a shrug. “Aside from going to the bathroom or to the kitchen for a midnight snack...maybe a week?”

Betty cringed and stepped farther into the room, setting down the to-go bag from Pop’s and styrofoam milkshake cup on the nightstand before sitting on the edge of the bed. “Toni, I brought your favorite. Cheeseburger, extra fries, and a chocolate shake,” she sing-songed, trying to get a response from the crestfallen pinkette. “Toni, come on, you can’t just let this _delicious_ food that Pop made just for you go to waste.”

No response. At least she was alive, she could see her breathing.

“Look, you can either lay there and ignore me or you can sit up and eat, but either way, I’m not leaving til you talk to me...” she watched as Toni continued to have no reaction. With a dramatic sigh, she climbed over the lump in the comforter and settled herself on the other side of the bed, getting comfortable under the blankets with her. “Looks like I’m spending the night, then.”

“You’re so annoying,” the older girl deadpanned, muffled by her pillow. 

“Yeah, but you love me anyways. If you’re not gonna utilize me as your best friend and vent to me about what’s going on then at least eat the food I brought for you. When’s the last time you ate something?”

Toni was quiet as a response, knowing that Betty would be even more upset to hear that she wasn’t even sure when the last time she ate was. She wasn’t hungry. She wasn’t even sad. She wasn’t anything anymore. 

“You’re such a pain in my ass,” she lifted her head from the pillow and used all the strength she had to sit up. Maybe she was a little hungry...

“Yeah, but I’ve been your favorite pain in the ass since like, first grade,” Betty sat up with her, grinning cheerfully. She sent a bit of a nod to Jughead, who was still standing in the doorway, letting him know that she would touch base with him later. This was girl time. 

Toni reached for the bag and milkshake on the nightstand, pulling them into her lap. Though, her heart sank to her stomach when she saw the bright red cherry sitting on top of the mountain of whipped cream under the plastic dome lid. It didn’t take a genius to know who she was thinking about.

“I know you miss her,” the blonde placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, “She has to be out there somewhere, she wouldn’t just leave y-“

“Please don’t,” Toni muttered just above a whisper, shaking her head as she willed herself to keep the tears behind her eyes where they belonged. 

“Toni...it’s okay to miss her. She became a huge part of your life in such a short amount of time.”

“I only knew her for a week.”

“So? You’ve never heard of love at first sight?”

“That’s not a real thing, Betty. That stuff’s for fairytales.”

_That’s rich coming from you, considering you’re in love with a mermaid._

“Well...love or not, I know how important she was to you. I never saw you with _light_ in your eyes until she came around. You looked at her in a way that I’ve never seen you look at _anyone_. For the first time in years, you actually looked happy, T. And now that she’s gone, it’s like you’ve taken ten giant leaps back.”

The words ‘she’s gone’ struck Toni like a freight train. To a point that she could feel the wind behind knocked out of her tightening chest. Having someone else say it was like the final nail in the metaphorical coffin. 

Cheryl was gone. 

“I just...I miss her so much,” a single tear fell from her eye, which she hastily wiped away, “I didn’t know that the last time I saw her would _be_ the last time I saw her, y’know? And maybe if I had stopped being so stubborn and just told her that I loved her too, she would’ve come back.”

Betty just frowned and reached up to rub her back, “Did she act like it was the last time she would see you when she left?”

The pink haired girl just shook her head and wiped away another damn tear, “No, she seemed fine. She said she would be back the next day. She just kissed me, told me the loved me and then she was gone.”

Biting her lip, Betty just sighed and pulled her hand back into her own lap, watching Toni swirl her straw around in the chocolate milkshake. She was being awfully quiet for a girl who always had something to say. The two sat in silence for what felt like forever. But it was comfortable. After a week of isolation, Toni was grateful for the company. She still missed Cheryl’s odd brand of over-affection. She’d give anything to have the redhead perched in her lap with her arms wrapped around her like she would disappear again if she ever let go. 

But she had to let her go. She wasn’t coming back. She was honestly starting to wonder if Cheryl was real at all or if the past two weeks had simply been some kind of fever dream. 

“So you love her?” Betty grinned mischievously, biting her lip.

With an unexpected laugh at the look on the blonde’s face, Toni reached into the to-go bag and whipped a french fry at her before starting to eat the rest of them. “Have I ever told you you’re a pain in my ass?”

“A few times, but it’s always nice to hear,” her best friend shrugged, reaching over to steal some of the fries from the bag.

**Day Thirteen**

“Hey, Ton?” F.P.’s voice broke through the quiet in her bedroom. For the first time in a while, Toni wasn’t moping around laying in her bed. Though, she hadn’t made it much farther. She was starting to slowly get over Cheryl, but the loss of her job was still taking a bit of a toll on her.

“Yeah?” she responded dully, not looking up from where she was scrolling through her phone as she sat against the headboard.

“Look, kid, I don’t wanna come off as an asshole here, but...you gotta do _something_. Get a job, go to school, hell, even come back and help me out with Serpentine. But I don’t like seein’ you act like...well, me. I get it, when some shit happens, all you wanna do is stay in bed and give the middle finger to the world, but...I’m not letting you do that. I know I’m not your dad, I never will be, but I’m the closest thing you got. And the fact that you have my shitty short temper is bad enough, I don’t need you being anymore like me. So...you got til Friday to figure somethin’ out. I think that’s pretty fair considering it’s Sunday now and you’ve just been laying in bed for almost a week.”

Toni stared up at him, tearing her eyes away from her phone. She didn’t glare or scowl at him like she would have as a teenager. Instead she just nodded in understanding. She had kind of forgotten that even though she was welcome, this wasn’t her house. 

“I’ll start looking for a job,” she gave him a half-hearted smile, watching him return it rather awkwardly before starting to move out of the room. “Uncle F.P.?” 

He stopped in his tracks and turned around to face her again, looking a little surprised that she had called him “uncle” for the first time since she was twelve. 

“Thanks...y’know for...letting me stay here until I figure something out,” she sat up a little straighter.

The older man scratched the back of his neck under his flannel shirt, offering her a crooked smile. “Anytime, kid.”

It wasn’t much, but it was something. And it meant the world to him.

**Day Eighteen**

With a heavy sigh, Toni set her portfolio down on the mail table by the front door of the Jones house and kicked off her shoes. It wasn’t as big as the New York Observer, but working for the Riverdale Register had its perks. Betty had begged her mom to give Toni a job, telling her about the deadline F.P. had given her. And the older blonde had trusted Toni enough to start her off with her own little column in the paper rather than as a coffee-grabbing, errand-running intern. She had the experience. She’d shadowed Alice back in high school for a career project and she had her work for the New York Observer under her belt.

 _“I promise, Mrs. Cooper, I won’t let you down,”_ she had smiled, shaking the woman’s hand on Wednesday when she’d been given the job. But now it was Friday night and she was ready to relax for the weekend.

Things were looking up. After her talk with her uncle, she had gotten her ass in gear. She had her new job and she had just gotten the key to her new apartment, having snatched up the first one she came across. It wasn’t her and Veronica’s New York City pied-a-terre, but it was her own. She made sure to get something a little ways uptown, figuring it was better if she didn’t get a place so close to the beach. She still caught herself looking out her window in hopes that she would see a pair of iridescent fins flipping in the distance. At least if she was away from the beach, she could start to move on from the redhead. There were nights when she still scrolled through the photos on her phone, listening to Cheryl playfully giggle in videos while she laid in bed at night. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t still long for her presence. 

She didn’t know what possessed her to do it. But she felt like she was being pulled out the back door, down the deck stairs and through the sand until she was ankle deep in the cool ocean water. Staring ahead at the sun setting on the horizon, Toni smiled a little to herself as the strong breeze loosened the hair in her ponytail. She felt oddly peaceful in this moment.

“I loved you too,” she uttered quietly into the air, “I hate that I didn’t tell you sooner. But...I don’t know if it would have changed the situation. I don’t know if you’d still be gone or if you would have come back to me by now...” 

She felt foolish, talking to nothing. Last time she did this was the day she left for New York, hoping that her dad could hear her from wherever he was. And now she hoped the same for Cheryl. 

“I miss you, Cher. I don’t know what to do,” her voice became thick with tears, “I don’t know if I should let you go or keep hoping that you’ll come back. Either way, it hurts so much. I feel fucking stupid for asking this, but hell, I fell in love with a mermaid, so I guess anything’s possible. Can you just...give me some kind of sign that you’re okay or coming back?”

She was met with nothing but the usual sound of seagulls and the feeling of her feet sinking farther into the sand with each wave that rolled in. 

“I figured,” she pursed her lips together, wiping the tears that had escaped her eyes as she nodded before straightening up and holding her head high. With a quiet sniffle, she decided not to say anything else before she made her way back up the beach and back into the house.

Her night went on like normal. She had dinner with F.P., Jughead, Betty, and Alice, who raved about Toni’s refreshing enthusiasm in the office, she joined them for their traditional Friday night movie in the living room, and she retired to her bedroom after a hot shower. 

Her bed, recently, had felt more like an unescapable prison she was trapped in. But tonight, she took comfort in the old spring mattress and homemade quilt, letting the warmth envelope her. She could feel herself slowly drifting to sleep. With the warmth of her blankets and the noise of the ocean waves coming through her open window, she finally felt content and relaxed. With one final yawn, Toni nuzzled into her pillow, starting to fade quickly into sleep. But the sound of sudden uncontrollable coughing outside made her eyelids snap open. 

Sitting up, her eyebrows knit together as she slowly swung her legs over the edge of the bed, standing up to approach the window. Her heart was pounding loudly in her chest as she slowly peeked her head out and down at the beach. 

“Oh my god,” she mumbled with wide eyes and a quivering voice as she stumbled out of the room, grabbing a large hoodie on the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up there might not be an update next week due to the holiday. Worst case, I’ll do what I did last week and update late. Regardless, you’ll get an update at some point. Sorry to leave it at a cliffhanger!


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so, I wasn’t gonna update this week because I’ve been super burnt out lately and wanted to buy myself some time to get more written. But I felt bad doing that With a cliffhanger. But if this burn out continues, I hope y’all understand if I get a little slow with updates. I have at least the next two chapters written and ready to post over the next two weeks, so hopefully this writers block won’t last that long. 
> 
> Anyway lemme shut up. Enjoy!

“Cheryl!” Toni called out as soon as she got out the back door, nearly tripping over her own two feet as she rushed towards the washed up girl by the shore. She could see the moonlight reflecting off her soaking wet hair as she seemed to crawl helplessly out of the water, the waves knocking her down every few moments. “Cheryl, oh my god,” Toni called breathlessly as she ran as fast as she could through the sand, falling to her knees in front of the redhead who had crawled far enough that the waves couldn’t reach her anymore. 

“Cheryl, hey. Look at me, are you okay?” she panted, brushing soaking wet strands of hair from the pale mermaid’s face as she sputtered and coughed up seawater.

“T-Toni,” Cheryl’s teeth chattered through her desperate whimper, clinging to the T-shirt on the older girl’s torso with one hand as she pushed herself up far enough to be pulled into her embrace, uttering her name over and over like a prayer.

“I’ve got you, you’re okay,” Toni practically sobbed into her neck, running her palms up and down her freezing cold back soothingly, making sure she was real. She couldn’t even be bothered by the freezing cold water that had Cheryl soaked from head to toe seeping through her pajamas, or the fact that the redhead was stark naked pressed against her. She was just glad that Cheryl was safe and back in her arms. 

Her goosebump covered body trembled heavily against hers. It didn’t help that the breeze was chilly and strong tonight. “Here, put this on,” the pinkette pulled back from the bone crushing hug Cheryl had her in and pulled the large hoodie over her head, helping her pull her sopping red hair out from under the fabric before pulling her back into the tight hug. 

“Where the hell were you?” she breathed her in deeply, rubbing vigorously over the hoodie to warm her up, “You were gone for almost three weeks.”

Cheryl just continued to quiver in her lap, keeping her arms locked around her tightly like she was afraid to let go. Toni could feel her pale, trembling fingers moving around her back and arms, like Cheryl was making sure she was real as well. But the feeling of something hard and cold against the side of her neck had her pulling back slightly.

It was the locket.

She was confused to see it in Cheryl’s tight grip. The dainty fingers were nearly turning red from how hard she was holding onto it. But...she was soaking wet from head to toe. How did she have legs if she wasn’t wearing it?

“Cher...” Toni knit her eyebrows together in confusion, looking back and forth between the locket and Cheryl’s eyes, blackened with fear and sadness. The mermaid just sniffled, little sobs still escaping her throat as she adjusted her legs, turning one of them to show Toni the harsh red scar that covered nearly the whole side of her calf. “Holy shit,” she breathed out in shock, starting to feel sick just looking at what may have once been a large gash in her leg. “What happened?”

The younger girls jaw dropped in an attempt to speak. But each time the slightest bit of a word would escape her lips, she just broke down crying again, clinging to Toni desperately as she practically wailed in despair. 

“Okay. Hey, it’s okay, let’s get you inside and warmed up,” Toni eased her off her lap and slowly stood up. But Cheryl fell helplessly to her knees when she tried to stand up as well, tears streaming down her face as she clung to Toni’s legs. 

“Fuck,” Toni huffed, looking around the empty, moonlit beach. She wasn’t strong enough to carry her. Especially not up the hill of sand or up the stairs. With a puff of determination, she leaned down and eased Cheryl up gently, draping one of her shaking arms around her shoulders to keep her held up. Thankfully whatever the hell happened to her leg, it was only the one. “Just try to walk with me, Cher, okay? We’ll be inside soon.”

The slightly taller girl whimpered, but walked slowly with Toni, trying not to cry out in pain every time she put too much pressure on her right leg. She was so tired, she could barely keep up with the slow pace. But they made it to the stairs of the back deck, despite her struggles. Toni didn’t care if they were tracking sand and water through the house. Her main concern was getting Cheryl upstairs and getting her warmed up and calmed down. Her heavy sobbing was bound to wake up Jughead and F.P., but Toni would cross that bridge when they came to it. 

“Okay, come on. One step at a time,” she whispered, keeping Cheryl propped up as she helped her up the stairs. Her heart was pounding in her ears. She was so scared and confused, she couldn’t even bring herself to feel the relief and happiness of having Cheryl back yet. 

With a few cries of pain and an endless string of pitiful whimpers, they made it to the top of the stairs and down the hall to Toni’s room where the pink haired girl closed the door behind them and ushered her to the bed, not even caring that it was getting covered in sand. 

“You’re okay, Cheryl, you’re safe with me, I’ve got you,” she whispered in her ear as she rubbed the hoodie against her cold, porcelain skin. She was shivering even worse now than she was before, still crying her eyes out as she rocked back and forth unconsciously. “Breathe, Cher. Breathe with me, can you do that? Just like this,” she held her free hand, lacing their fingers together as she tried her hardest to control her own breathing. But it was hard when she was so terrified. She could only imagine how Cheryl felt. 

But the redhead was trying. Toni held her gaze as she tried to control her breathing, taking deep breaths just like she was. It was hard and it _hurt_ so bad, but she was trying. 

“You’re doing so great, baby, keep breathing just like that,” the pinkette brought both her hands up to kiss affectionately around her knuckles, taking a moment to eye the gold locket that was trapped firmly in one of her shaking hands. 

“T-T-To-oni,” Cheryl’s voice trembled through her labored breaths, a fresh batch of tears flowing down her cheeks when she saw her look at the necklace in her grip. 

“Shh, just breathe, focus on that,” Toni let go of one of her hands to reach up and cup her flushed cheek gently, running her thumb across the smooth but cold surface.

“I-I-I c-c-“ she would start before squeezing her eyes shut in frustration and shaking her head, continuing to cry instead of speaking her mind. 

“Are you warming up?” Toni asked, leaning up to rub the hoodie sleeves against her arms again. But when the younger girl shook her head no, she was quick on her feet with another idea. “Okay, come with me. Careful,” she breathed deeply and helped her up, slowly but surely helping her to the bathroom across the hall. She was surprised that Jughead or her uncle hadn’t come out to see what the commotion was yet. 

“Just sit here for a few minutes, okay? I’m just gonna run you a hot bath, that should warm you up.”

Cheryl just nodded in response, wrapping her arms around herself for warmth as she rocked back and forth on the toilet seat lid Toni had sat her down on. “T-T-Toni,” she shivered, whimpering at the loss of contact from the pink haired girl. But Toni sat with her, still trying to help her control her breathing as the bathtub filled up. She hoped it was all right for Cheryl. It wasn’t as big as the jacuzzi tub in F.P.’s room or her bathtub back in New York. 

“Come on, let’s get you in,” she cooed, easing her out of the oversized hoodie and helping her stand up so she could climb into the tub. She worried about the hot water on the angry looking scar on her right leg, but Cheryl submerged it into the water anyways, flinching and wincing to herself at the pain that obviously came with it. 

“That better?” Toni asked, starting to scoop water up to run it down the girl’s shoulders and back. A smile crept onto her lips when Cheryl nodded. Her shivers were starting to fade and her sobbing with labored breaths was reduced to mere sniffles after a few minutes of sitting in the hot water. She tried to hold off on bombarding her with questions. Where she had been, why she was gone so long, why she had a big scar on her leg and why she _had_ legs if she wasn’t wearing the locket. But Cheryl was finally starting to calm down. 

“Th-they took...my t-tail,” the redhead mumbled after a few minutes of silence between them, looking down at the locket that was still in her firm grip.

Toni lifted her head off her arms that were leaning on the edge of the tub, giving her a look of both fear and confusion. “Who’s ‘they’? And...what do you mean they took your tail?”

A fresh batch of tears sprung to her eyes as her pale complexion turned pink once again. Toni’s heart felt like it was cracking right down the middle, watching her eyes squeeze shut as she choked on a heavy sob.

“Hey, it’s okay, you don’t have to tell me now. Let’s just focus on getting you warmed up. That sound okay? And we can talk after?” 

Cheryl just nodded as a few of her tears fell into the bath water. Her quiet whimpers and sniffles were the only sound in the small bathroom besides the water Toni was continuously running down her back and shoulders. Her shivers were diminishing, but she still felt cold as ice to the touch. And Toni didn’t know what to do besides watch the redhead stare sadly at the gold pendant in her hands.

With a lightbulb over her head, Toni wordlessly stood up and swung her legs over into the bathtub, sitting on the edge with her calves in the water. “Turn around,” she whispered gently, helping Cheryl shift to face away from her as she reached for the shower nozzle. “Head back,” she instructed, keeping her voice gentle and calm. And despite her confusion, Cheryl did what she said.

Toni heard a bit of a relieved sigh from Cheryl’s nearly purple lips when the warm water seeped through her hair and onto her scalp. And thankfully she seemed to noticeably relax when the older girl started massaging shampoo into her hair. 

Cheryl had witnessed plenty of magic in her life, but Toni was a different kind of magic. She had seen the pink haired girl start _fire_ , something she’d only ever heard about, but never seen. And now she was making her feel better just by running her magic, healing fingers through her hair. She felt warm and comfortable and for the slightest moment, she forgot all about her troubles. 

The silence between them was broken when Toni started to quietly hum her mom’s favorite song; the song that seemed to bring them both so much comfort. She was glad to see Cheryl’s shivering had stopped, though the redhead still seemed so tense.

After she finished washing her hair, the water started to cool down. Toni wasn’t even sure how long they had been in the bathroom for. But the wrinkles on her pruny fingers proved that it had been a while. Draining the tub, she helped Cheryl up and out of the bathtub, being careful of the scar on her leg. It didn’t seem to look any better or worse. It was just there, staring Toni in the face like it was daring her to ask about it. But she brushed the urge aside and lead Cheryl back to her bedroom after getting her dried off, sitting her down on the edge of her bed.

“Can you lift your arms up for me?” she asked quietly after fetching another large hoodie and some sweatpants from her suitcase. Cheryl looked so sad and broken, just sitting on the edge of the bed, holding the towel together with one hand and still clutching the locket in the other. But she looked up at her with bloodshot eyes and nodded, raising her arms slowly as the towel pooled around her hips. Aside from Betty or Veronica, who was in no way modest around the apartment, Toni didn’t think she had ever had a naked girl in front of her with no intentions to have sex with them. No matter how attractive she thought Cheryl was, that was the last thing on her mind right now. 

She pulled the hoodie down over her head and rubbed her arms over the sleeves like she had before, still trying to keep her warm even though she had finally stopped shivering. “I’ll be right back,” she whispered, kissing Cheryl’s forehead slowly before backing out of the room. She didn’t know where the angry red scar on her leg came from or if it would be beneficial to wrap it up in gauze to avoid making it worse, but she grabbed the first aid kid she knew F.P. kept under her bathroom sink and scurried back to her room, kneeling down in front of the sniffling girl. 

It wasn’t an open cut. Just red, bubbled up flesh, as if someone had welded an open wound shut, melting the skin back together. Unsure of what else to do, she applied a bit of burn cream on it and wrapped it in gauze, soothing Cheryl quietly when she whined in discomfort. She guided her feet into the grey sweatpants and eased them slowly up her legs, securing the waistband around her hips.

“Are you feeling a little better?” she whispered in the dimly lit room, sitting beside Cheryl as she sniffled and toyed with the necklace that hadn’t left her hands since Toni found her washed up on the shore. 

“Yes, Toni,” she mumbled back, her voice somehow cracking even through a whisper.

Moving around the room, Toni turned off the light and closed her open window before climbing under the covers, turning the other side down for Cheryl to lay down, but the younger girl was just sitting on the edge of the bed, staring across the room at the wall. “Cher?” she broke the silence in the room yet again, trying to get her attention. She seemed so out of it and lost in her own thoughts, but she still turned to face Toni, laying down with her when she was beckoned over. 

“Go to sleep, babe, you must be exhausted. We’ll talk in the morning whenever you wake up,” the pink haired girl pulled her against her chest gently, spooning her from behind with her nose buried in her damp hair. She could feel Cheryl’s free hand blindly searching for hers, lacing their fingers together securely before pressing herself further against Toni’s body, fitting into every curve and crevice like a puzzle piece. And before Toni could even let the words ‘good night’ leave her lips, Cheryl was out cold, drifted off into a fitful sleep.

**xxx**

Toni was surprised that she was able to fall asleep with how worried she was about Cheryl. The redhead had been M.I.A. for nearly three weeks before coming back like she had just returned from hell. The only thing keeping Toni calm was the fact that she was back and safe in her arms, though she still had so many unanswered questions just like before. But she wasn’t going to push Cheryl for answers. She would wait forever if she had to, especially if whatever had happened to her was as traumatic as it seemed. And as much as she wanted to tell her how she felt about her, she couldn’t shake the thought that now just wasn’t the right time. Even if she didn’t want to waste another second without Cheryl knowing how she felt.

A quivering hand squeezing her own had her stirring awake around three AM. The more conscious she became, the more aware she became of the trembling, whimpering girl beside her. “Cher?” she rasped out, rubbing her eye as she leaned up on her elbow. There was no response besides the hand still squeezing hers firmly, and the limited light only allowed her to see so much. But after turning on the bedside lamp, she could see that the mermaid was still asleep with pain written all over her flushed face, plagued by nightmares. 

“Cheryl...Cheryl, wake up,” Toni shook her arm gently with her free hand, only making the younger girl scrunch her face up in displeasure more. She didn’t want to, but she took her hand out of Cheryl’s firm grip and moved off the bed, kneeling beside her on the floor as she cupped her warm cheeks gently. “Cheryl, baby, it’s me, it’s Toni. I’m right here.”

Her voice was quiet, but hopefully loud enough to get through to her. And after a bit more coaxing, Cheryl’s bleary eyes opened. Though, Toni didn’t get to see them for long since the redhead threw herself into her arms, hugging her tightly around the neck as she struggled to catch her breath. 

“Shh, you’re okay. You’re okay, I got you,” she whispered, rubbing her back over the hoodie she’d dressed her in. She climbed back up on the bed with her, holding her close as she cried against her neck. “It was just a nightmare, Cher, you’re safe here with me.”

“Th-they took m-my t-tail, Toni,” Cheryl sobbed, her voice strained from crying.

“Who did?” she moved one of her hands up to rake through her tangled web of red hair. 

“My...my p-parents,” she whimpered back before letting out a fresh string of sobs.

Toni was quiet, trying to soothe her as she tried to process what Cheryl had said. Her parents took her tail? Were they the ones responsible for the scar on her leg? “What did they do?” she asked timidly, hoping that it didn’t upset her more. 

“They...they-“ she started before losing her voice to her heavy sobs again, burying her face in the crook of Toni’s neck. The pink haired girl was patient, ‘shh’ing her gently as she tried to calm her down. 

After several failed attempts at telling Toni what happened, Cheryl gave up, just crying instead of attempting to talk. And as tired as she was, Toni didn’t mind. She told herself that she would stay up until Cheryl either decided to talk or she fell back asleep.

“They would not let me leave,” the redhead finally mumbled after what felt like hours of silence. Even her sniffling had stopped.

“Your parents?” Toni asked, feeling her nod against her neck.

“When I got back, they asked me where I had been. I told them that I had gone on land to return the locket to you. I told them that I could not find you and that is what took me so long to come back.” Toni couldn’t help but smile a little. She didn’t take Cheryl for the type who would lie to her parents about her whereabouts. “They would not let me leave...as punishment for not telling them where I was going. I could not get out to come back to you.”

Toni ran her hand soothingly up and down her back, listening intently. Her heart already hurt for the redhead and she knew that the story hadn’t even hit its most intense part yet.

“I did not want to give up, but my mother and father are very powerful. They are very scary when they are mad. And today...I _felt_ you, Toni. I cannot explain it, but I could feel you. Like you were with me.”

The older girl thought back to when she had gone to the beach earlier in the evening, dipping her feet into the water as she spoke to the open air. Maybe that was what Cheryl had felt.

“I was angry and I wanted to get back to you. I...I told my parents about you and that you were waiting for me back on land. I told them that I am _in_ love with you even though you are a human. And...my father...”

Toni could tell by her voice trailing off that this was where things got worse. Even if her voice hadn’t given it away, she would have caught on. Cheryl told her parents that she was in love with a human. She could only assume that a conversation like that wouldn’t end well.

“H-he told me that I had betrayed them...and betrayed my brother...and that I could never come back,” Cheryl’s breathing started to pick up again as she continued, “And then m-my...my tail started to...rip in h-half. I s-swam away, b-but it hurt so b-bad. And I could not breathe...everything hurt so m-much, Toni.”

She pulled Cheryl closer as she tried to guide her labored breathing again. Though, it was difficult when she was crying herself, trying to hold in the heavy sobs that she had trapped in the back of her own throat. “So you...” she paused to flick her tongue out over her lips, wondering how to word her question, “If you’re not wearing the locket and you get wet...you won’t change? You’ll just have legs all the time?” She felt her nod into her neck as her heart broke all over again. That tail was part of Cheryl and who she was. She was a mermaid. Was she human now? Was she technically still a mermaid? 

“Hey, look at me,” she nudged her arm gently, waiting for Cheryl to lift her heavy head and look her in the eye. “It’s gonna be okay. I’ll take care of you. I’ll protect you. _Always._ ”

“Y-you promise?” she sniffled, wiping at her own eyes.

“I promise. And I’m so... _so_ sorry that this happened to you,” Toni shook her head, brushing red hair from her eyes before leaning in to kiss her slowly. She could feel Cheryl melting into the kiss and relaxing against her as the younger girl elicited a slight sigh of contentment. It felt so good to have her plump pink lips against her own again. “Try to get some sleep,” she mumbled, reaching up to turn the lamp off before settling back beside her. It still hadn’t really sunk in that Cheryl was back. Toni had spent the past few weeks getting used to the fact that she probably wouldn’t see Cheryl ever again and now here she was, suddenly dropped back in her lap. Only this time, she didn’t mind it as much.

“Toni?” the redhead’s whisper of her name pierced through the silent room, causing Toni to open her eyes once more. “Can I love you now?” she brought her fingers up to gingerly cup Toni’s cheek, stroking her thumb over the smooth, sun-kissed skin. 

Her breath caught in the back of Toni’s throat at the question. She’d heard it before. Many times, actually. But this time was so much different. This was the time she actually said yes. It surprised her that she felt as ready for it as she did now. If it were anyone else, she was sure that them disappearing for three weeks would have her repressing her feelings more in fear of losing them again. But with Cheryl...something was different.

“Yeah...yeah you can,” she smiled, feeling the apple of her cheek slide against Cheryl’s cool palm as the redhead smiled back, “If you promise to love me as much as I love you...”

The redhead scooted closer, retracting her hand so it was tucked against her chest with the other, nearly pressing their foreheads together. “You would have to love me a lot”

Toni just breathed out a breath of laughter, nodding her head against her pillow. “More that I thought I would,” she admitted quietly.

“Like Harry loves Sally?”

“Mmhm.”

“Like Monica loves Chandler?”

“Yeah.”

“Like Ariel loves Eric?”

The pink haired girl laughed and nodded, pressing her lips to the soft, smiling pink ones that sat just centimeters away from her own. “Yeah, I do. Go to sleep.”

“Okay, Toni. I love you. And I will tell you again in the morning,” Cheryl yawned as she cuddled up to her side, “And you will tell me?”

She chuckled and rubbed her back, kissing the top of her head, “I’ll tell you, I promise.”

And with that, Cheryl fell right back to sleep, nightmares forgotten. And Toni followed not long after, both of them being soothed by the notion that everything was finally going to be okay. They would get through this together.


	21. Chapter 21

Fingers were raking slowly through Toni’s hair, twirling the bubblegum pink ends. She was warm, nestled comfortably under the blankets with the weight on her chest that she’d grown to miss so much. She hadn’t realized how much she missed it until she had it back. All that time without Cheryl by her side, she had been trying to convince herself to stop missing her and move on, not wanting to hold get her hopes up that the redhead would return. But now she was back, safe and sound in bed with her. And Toni wasn’t letting her go again. 

Opening her eyes slowly, her lips curled into a smile when she was immediately met with the sight of Cheryl staring back at her, smiling warmly as she kept her fingers running through her hair. 

“I love you, Toni,” she hummed contentedly, leaning in to kiss her like it was just second nature.

“Good morning to you, too,” the pinkette chuckled against her lips before kissing her again and wrapping an arm comfortably around her middle. Everything about this just felt right, like they should have been doing it all along. From the innocent touches and kisses, to the way they kept their foreheads together after pulling back from the tender kiss. “How’d you sleep?”

“On my side, with you,” the redhead answered with a dreamy smile, making Toni laugh out loud with her response. Typical Cheryl.

“No, I meant, like...did you sleep okay? No more nightmares or anything bothering you? Were you comfortable and warm enough?” she smiled, elaborating on her question through a few giggles and kissed her again.

“Oh. Yes, I slept very okay. I was comfortable and warm. And I was with you.”

Toni felt the butterflies in her stomach start flying around faster. She wondered if Cheryl knew what the things she said did to her. She’d never met anyone so blunt, but so charming at the same time. 

“How did you sleep, Toni?”

“I slept all right,” she shrugged, not really wanting to tell her that she was up every hour, checking to see that Cheryl was still sleeping peacefully. She knew she had the tendency to be a heavy sleeper, especially when she hadn’t been sleeping well like she had lately. And she didn’t want Cheryl to wake up from another nightmare alone. But each time she woke up, the redhead was sleeping soundly by her side. Not as peacefully as she had seen in the past, but she didn’t seem to be plagued with night terrors. 

The redhead smiled softly with a bit of guilt behind her eyes as she ran her palm up and down Toni’s arm. “I am sorry you were waiting so long,” she whispered, her smile starting to dissolve into a frown.

“Hey, don’t be sorry, it wasn’t your fault,” she shook her head, bringing her hand up to grip her chin gently, “I love you, okay? I’m just...glad you’re okay.” 

She cringed inwardly. Yeah, she was glad that Cheryl was okay and back with her, but she had been practically held captive by her parents, banished from her home, and stripped of her tail, left with nothing but memories and a painful looking scar. If Toni had been through all that, she probably wouldn’t even have the motivation to smile. Hell, just this month, she’d lost Cheryl and her job and she didn’t leave her room for nearly two weeks straight. She couldn’t even imagine taking on Cheryl’s hardships. But the redhead seemed fine. She seemed happy enough, considering what she went through. A part of Toni was a little relieved that she wasn’t more upset. She could hardly handle her own emotions, let alone someone else’s. But she knew that if it came down to it, she would do her best to be there through any emotional downfall Cheryl may have in the future. 

“Rise and shine, sleeping bea-“ Betty’s chipper voice rang through the room over the sound of her knocking on the door as she opened it. Though, the blonde stopped in her tracks at the sight of the redhead who was occupying half of her best friend’s bed. “Cheryl?” her eyes widened as she stepped further into the room, sitting on the edge of the bed beside them, “I thought you’d never come back!”

Cheryl giggled and sat up to hug her, not caring about the oversized hoodie that was twisted uncomfortably around her midriff. “Hey, Betty. I am back,” she smiled, hugging her tightly.

“Toni must be thrilled. She’s been moping around here for three weeks,” she snorted, laughing as a pillow was thrown at her from the pink haired girl on Cheryl’s other side. 

“Toni was waiting for me, but now I am back,” she nodded, reaching for Toni’s hand as she sat up to join them, “And I love her and she loves me.”

Betty’s eyebrows raised to her hairline as she glanced between the two girls. Cheryl, as usual, was wearing her blissfully ignorant smile while Toni was blushing a deeper shade of red than Betty had ever seen. “Okay,” she nodded with a chuckle, “Good to know. Uh, Toni, we’ve got breakfast ready downstairs and then we can head over to Paradise Cove.”

The redheads’s brows knit together in confusion before she looked over at Toni, “Paradise Cove?”

“Uh, Betts, we’ll be right down,” Toni gave the blonde a half grin, hinting to her that she needed to talk to Cheryl alone. Thankfully Betty was good at reading her tone.

“Glad to have you back, Cheryl,” she hugged her once more before getting up and leaving the room, closing the door behind her.

“Toni, what is Paradise Cove?”

“It’s, um...It’s an apartment complex. Like the one I lived at with Veronica,” Toni explained. She didn’t know why she was so nervous about it. 

“Why are you going there?” 

“Cause I’m gonna live there. We’re moving my stuff in today.”

“With Veronica?”

She chuckled and shook her head, sitting up a little straighter, “No, not with Veronica. She’s still in the city. While you were gone, I moved back here and got a different job that I just started this week.”

“You do not work at The New York Observer anymore?” Cheryl looked at her with adorable doe-eyed confusion, “And you do not live with Veronica?”

“Nope. I work at The Riverdale Register now. It’s kind of the same thing,” she shrugged.

“If you do not live with Veronica who are you going to live with? Who are you going to be Monica and Rachel with?”

“Well...um...” Toni’s jaw slacked. She wasn’t expecting to have to explain to Cheryl that she was going to live with her in her new apartment, “You are...If that’s okay with you.”

“I know I am, but I am Phoebe. You and Veronica were Monica and Rachel,” she said pointedly.

The pinkette just laughed and shook her head. Apparently Cheryl hadn’t even considered the fact that they could live together without someone else. “Well, what if...it was just you and me? Three’s kind of a crowd. Especially in a one bedroom apartment...”

“Just you and me?” the younger girl’s confusion slowly started to turn into happiness as a toothy grin spread on her face.

“Yeah, just the two of us. If that’s okay,” Toni shrugged in return with a hopeful smile of her own.

“It is very okay! I am going to live at Paradise Cove with Toni! We should go now!” 

“Whoa, hang on,” Toni laughed and caught her arm, stopping her from dashing out of the room. She was going to tell her the plan for the day, but when her hand slipped down Cheryl’s arm and into hers, she noticed the locket she was still holding tightly in her grip. Had it left her hand at all in the past three weeks? “Do you wanna put the locket on? So you don’t have to hold it?” she asked gently as she ran her thumb along her pale knuckles. 

“...It does not work anymore,” the redhead whispered with sad eyes and a shake of her head, “And it is not mine to wear.”

“Cher, you can wear it if you want. I don’t mind...”

“It is not mine, Toni,” she repeated, placing the gold chain and pendant into Toni’s hand instead, “It was your mother’s. And then your father’s. You should wear it.”

The older girl looked down at the locket in her palm. She couldn’t wear it. She just couldn’t. She already had a whole month of heavy emotions, new and old, she wasn’t ready to take on the emotional weight that came with putting the necklace on. “I’ll put it somewhere safe,” she cupped the side of Cheryl’s neck and pulled her in for a slow but chaste kiss, which despite the suddenly solemn mood in the room, she happily returned. 

The younger girl pulled back slowly with a content smile. “Can we go to Paradise Cove now?”

“After breakfast,” Toni chuckled and kissed her once more.

**xxx**

“I’m just saying, I think it would look better over _there_ ,” Jughead pointed to the wall opposite of the one where they had placed the IKEA sofa he and F.P. had just finished putting together, “Seriously, listen to me, Toni. The sun sets in the west, which is exactly the direction the window faces. You’re gonna be getting nothing but glare on the TV if you put the couch here.”

“Listen to _me_ , Jughead, it’s _my_ apartment and I want the couch to stay where it is,” Toni shot back, crossing her arms over her chest.

Betty chuckled from across the room where she was unpacking dishes in the attached kitchen with Cheryl. Though, the redhead seemed less than enthused at Toni raising her voice.

“Okay, break it up,” F.P. stepped between the two before they started pulling each other’s hair, “Jug, I know you mean well, but it’s Toni’s apartment. If she wants a glare on her TV, then she’ll get a glare on her TV. Toni, thank Jughead for the kind suggestion before I make you hug it out like when you were kids.”

Rolling her eyes, Toni thanked the older boy quietly before placing the decorative pillows onto the couch begrudgingly. 

“Hey, why don’t you go set up the kitchen with Betty and your girlfriend while me and Jug bring in some more stuff,” the older man suggested, breaking the awkward silence.

“She’s not...” the pink haired girl started to correct him before looking over the bar counter between the kitchen and living room, watching Cheryl giggle contently as she helped Betty stack dishes and cups in the cabinets. “Fine,” she sighed before moving across the room, watching him and Jughead walk out the door. 

“Toni, do not be upset. Jughead is only trying to help,” Cheryl grinned at her as she carefully plucked a glass from the box in front of her. 

“I know,” she sighed, letting her lips curl up into a smile for Cheryl’s sake, “Hey, you wanna go hang your clothes up in the closet?” The redhead nodded eagerly, already running past her towards the bedroom, apparently unfazed by the scar under the bandage on her leg. “Just don’t make a mess, the movers are supposed to be here with the bed any minute!” Toni called after her, sighing after she didn’t get a response.

“Sooo...” Betty sing-songed, wagging her eyebrows suggestively with a smirk.

“What?” the older girl rolled her eyes, unable to stop herself from blushing “What pain in the ass comment are you gonna make now?”

“Nothing. Just glad to see my best friend finally happy in a relationship.”

“It’s not a-“ Toni started before pinching the bridge of her nose, “I don’t know what it is, but we haven’t really made anything official.”

“Toni...you’re in a relationship. You’re moving in together, you’re apparently in love with each other, according to Cheryl. I mean, come on, when she went to visit her family she was only gone a couple days before you started getting all mopey without her. Face it, T, you’re in a relationship.”

Her jaw slacked a bit at Betty’s words. She and Cheryl had only known each other a month and only spent a week of that together. It seemed too quick to be putting labels on anything, but the blonde was right. They were moving at a weird pace in a strange order, but making things official with Cheryl wouldn’t make the pace any more out of the ordinary. 

“Why was she gone so long anyway?” Betty asked as she closed the cabinet, leaning against the counter, “I mean, is she from overseas or something?”

“Uh, kind of,” Toni cringed inwardly, unsure of how to tell Betty about Cheryl’s disappearance. She wasn’t sure if she should tell her _anything_ about it, really. It wasn’t her place or her story to tell. Not to mention that telling her the truth would open up a whole new can of worms. “I don’t know how to explain it. I’m just...happy to have her back.”

The younger girl didn’t look very convinced, but she nodded and continued to unpack boxes. Toni felt bad for not elaborating. She didn’t like keeping secrets from Betty. They’d been best friends since kindergarten. But this wasn’t her secret. She trusted Betty, but who knows what would happen if the truth about Cheryl got into the wrong hands.

“Hey, Ton, the movers are here!” F.P.’s voice came from the front door as he and Jughead made their way in with a few more boxes. 

With a deep breath, she brushed the feeling of guilt aside and thanked her uncle as he passed by them.

“Hey, you want me to go grab some burgers from Pop’s? It’s getting close to lunch,” Betty chimed after checking her watch.

“Yeah, if you don’t mind,” she nodded, grateful that the subject was changed, “You wanna take Cheryl to help?”

“If she wants to come, that’d be great, I’ll go ask her.”

Toni nodded and turned on her heel to go meet the movers outside, instructing them on where things needed to go. She didn’t have much for them to take in. Just the big things she had put in storage like her bed and dresser from New York. She greeted the beefed up man who met her at the truck, explaining to him what needed to go where. It wasn’t difficult to explain, since they were only bringing things into the bedroom. As she was giving them directions on how to get to her door, she felt arms encircle her torso as a weight fell on her back.

“Toni, me and Betty are going to Pop’s for burgers but I am getting a cherry milkshake and fries,” Cheryl’s excited voice rang in her ear as she hugged her from behind.

The shorter girl held a polite finger up to the mover before turning to the redhead with a smile, crouching down to tie her shoelaces. “That’s nice of you to help her out. Can you say hi to Pop for me?”

“I will say hi to Pop for you,” Cheryl nodded, still jittery with excitement as she pressed her lips to hers. “I love you, Toni.”

“I love you too,” she blushed, knowing that the head of the moving crew was still standing right beside them and Betty was probably lurking around nearby, “Go ahead, I’ll see you when you get back.”

“I will come back, I promise,” Cheryl stated firmly before she ran off towards Betty’s car, leaving Toni alone with the man.

“Sorry about that,” she tucked her hair behind her ear, embarrassed that he had witnessed what she would consider to be a private moment. 

“No worries. That your girlfriend?” 

Glancing back over her shoulder, Toni watched as Cheryl waved excitedly at her from the passenger seat of Betty’s car before the blonde pulled out of the parking spot, watching the car take off down the street. 

“Yeah, I guess so,” she gave him a tight-lipped smile, signing her name on his clipboard before leading him inside.

**xxx**

“Toni?”

“Yeah?”

“Am I your girlfriend?”

Toni looked up from her phone as Cheryl came into the bedroom, combing the prongs of a fork through her long wavy hair. “What made you ask that?” she sat up straighter against the headboard, watching Cheryl step around boxes and bags to climb up onto the bed with her wearing just one of Toni’s big shirts and baggy pajama pants.

“Betty asked me at Pop’s if you had asked me to be your girlfriend yet. I told her you had not, but I did not know what a girlfriend was,” she bit her lip nervously, fiddling with her fingertips in her lap.

“Did she explain it to you?” 

Cheryl nodded timidly, looking up at Toni with the doe eyes that made her weak, “She said that when you are someone’s girlfriend, you are...dating them. Rachel was Ross’s girlfriend, and Ross was her boyfriend until they were on a break,” she explained, still twiddling her thumbs, “But you have never called me your girlfriend.”

Putting her phone down, Toni thought of what to say. Their situation was complicated enough for her, she couldn’t imagine how confusing it must be for Cheryl. “It’s complicated, Cher.”

“I do not like that word,” her face scrunched up in what Toni could only assume was anger, though it was the least threatening anger she’d ever seen. 

“I know,” she chuckled, unable to stop herself, “I just mean...normally relationships take a lot longer. Like, people don’t really fall in love in such a short amount of time. Couples normally wait months before they say they love each other. Sometimes it takes _years_ of dating before they decide to live together. And what we have just isn’t normal.”

“But we are not normal,” Cheryl shook her head with a frown. 

“I know we’re not. Honestly, Cher, I don’t even know what normal is. The only relationship I’ve ever been in lasted two months. And I was only fourteen,” she rolled her eyes, remembering the so-called ‘relationship’ she had with Sawyer “Sweet Pea” Peabody. If she wasn’t dead set on pissing her uncle off as a teenager, things with him wouldn’t have even lasted that long. “What I’m trying to say is...I’m still learning too. I might know a lot, but not from experience. Betty and Jughead have been dating for a long time, but even before that, they’d known each other their whole lives. Pretty much everything I know about relationships, I learned from them. But they’re not normal either.”

“They are not?”

“Not really. It’s not really common to fall in love with someone you’ve known your whole life. But I’m sure it happens more often than falling in love with someone you’ve only known for less than a month,” Toni mumbled with a shrug, wondering where she was going with this. 

“Does this mean I am not your girlfriend? I feel like I am.”

“You are. I mean, if you wanna be. I was just...kinda scared to ask you to be.”

“Why?”

“Cause that would make things between us official, I guess. I wasn’t sure if I was ready for that. But...that sounds kinda stupid of me when I’m already telling you I love you and we live together already.”

“I love you, Toni. You are not stupid,” Cheryl cracked a smile and scooted closer, placing herself in her lap.

“Thanks,” she chuckled, “I love you, too.”

“Will you be my girlfriend if I cannot be yours yet?” the redhead rested her cheek on Toni’s shoulder, twirling the pink strands of her hair between her fingers.

“I’ll be yours,” she laughed quietly, wrapping her arms around her, “You wanna be mine?”

“I would like that very much,” Cheryl giggled along with her as she playfully dotted kisses around her neck and jaw. 

Toni had never felt more normal that she did now, just laughing with her girlfriend. She was finally starting to realize that it didn’t matter how they got to where they were now, but they were there. 

And she was happy.


	22. Chapter 22

“Just remember not to leave the apartment. I haven’t had a key made for you yet,” Toni rushed around the living room, stepping around boxes that hadn’t been unpacked and IKEA packages that had yet to be touched. It was her first day back to work since Cheryl had returned, and while the redhead was used to her going off to work for the day, this just felt different. After losing her for three weeks, Toni had to admit that she was scared of letting Cheryl out of her sight. She didn’t want to lose her again. 

“I will be okay, Toni,” the redhead giggled, following her girlfriend around the apartment, “It is only for a few hours, we will see each other again very soon.”

The pink haired girl glanced at her and sighed, relaxing her shoulders a little at the sincere look on Cheryl’s face. “I know, you’re right. I just...I worry about you, babe,” she stepped closer and allowed herself to be pulled into a hug from the taller girl.

“You do not need to worry about me, Toni, I will not leave the apartment,” Cheryl smiled, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead, “I promise.”

Nodding, Toni leaned up to kiss her briefly before she reached for her laptop case and camera bag, turning to face her again. “I should be back by noon for lunch. If you wanna unpack some more stuff you can. You remember how to work the TV?”

“I remember,” she nodded in confirmation, recalling how Toni had showed her how to use the TV just yesterday since the one she was used to using was Veronica’s back at the old apartment. “Go to work before you are late.”

Toni just laughed as Cheryl pushed her gently towards the door, “Okay, okay, I’m going,” she chuckled, kissing her once again before disappearing behind the door.

Cheryl sighed, leaning against the closed door as she glanced around the apartment wondering what to do for the next few hours. Toni had put a few games on the tablet for her. She had the TV. She had-

Gasping to herself, she turned back to face the door, whimpering a little. She promised she wouldn’t leave the apartment. Looking around worriedly, she rushed to the door in the living room that lead out to the balcony. Toni’s car was out there! It was a little farther from the main entrance of the building, but the older girl told her that she would park there instead so Cheryl could see when she left and when she came home. It gave the redhead butterflies when Toni had told her that. 

“Toni!” she cried out, practically leaning over the edge of the balcony desperately. She waved, spotting the head of pink hair as she was just about to get into her car. “I love you!” How could she have forgotten to tell her??

She could hear Toni’s melodic giggling despite the few stories of distance between them, followed by a “love you too” called back up that made her heart soar. And after Toni waved and got into her car, Cheryl watched her drive off before turning back into the apartment. 

Glancing around, she sighed, wondering what to do. There was plenty for her to do to keep herself busy while Toni was away. Some things still had to be unpacked from their boxes. She could be helpful and unpack them! She was sure Toni would appreciate the help. Just yesterday, she was telling her all about her new job and all the responsibilities she had. Cheryl felt tired just listening to it, she couldn’t imagine having to actually do it all. Toni was magic, she knew she could do it. But magic or not, everyone needed help sometimes. 

Humming quietly to herself, the redhead moved to the bathroom and knelt down beside the cardboard box beside the toilet, starting to sift through it for anything she could put away. The box had mostly towels of different colors and shapes, but she could unpack them! She just...wasn’t sure where they were supposed to go. Placing them on the floor, she went through the rest of the box, huffing a bit at each thing she recognized but wasn’t sure where it was supposed to be placed. This bathroom was different than the one in New York. The sink was across from the toilet instead of beside it and the bathtub was too small.

Well...she didn’t need a large bathtub anymore. She would fit into this one just fine with her legs. There was no need to accommodate her tail anymore. 

Biting her lip, she ran her fingers delicately over the ugly pink scar on her calf. It didn’t look as bad as it did before, but it was still ugly to her. It made her not like her legs as much as she used to. Maybe that was the point her parents were trying to make by putting it there. If she was going to be human, she would have to live with the ugly scar as punishment. They did not want her to have legs, and now she wished she had different ones. 

She brushed the thought of her parents aside, trying not to think of the looks on their faces when she told them that she was in love with Toni. Instead she stood up and walked out of the bathroom, looking for more things to unpack. There wasn’t a lot left. Two boxes in the living room had holiday decorations in them. Toni said they didn’t need those anytime soon. There was a box in the bedroom that had some of Toni’s personal things. She didn’t want to go through those and risk upsetting her. 

Defeated, she plopped down on the couch, turning on the TV. She loved watching TV, but she just wasn’t in the mood for it anymore.

**xxx**

She stared wide-eyed at the TV, watching a show from a very long time ago. Every episode she’d watched over the past few hours, it seemed the woman on screen had dinner ready for her husband when he got home from work. Toni would be home from work soon! She could make her dinner!

Jumping off the couch, she left the old sitcom running as she dashed to the kitchen, stopping dead in her tracks once her feet reached the cool tile. 

What was she supposed to make? The only thing she knew how to get to eat on her own were the jars of cherries that were stocked up in the fridge. Toni did everything else. The pizza that Toni made magically show up at their door yesterday was in the fridge, but she didn’t know how to warm it up. Toni had made her spaghetti and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but she never learned how to make them herself. She didn’t want to use the stove after learning the hard way that it was hot.

Biting her lip apprehensively, she glanced around the kitchen, wondering what she should make. Toni said that she would be home when the little and big hands on the clock both reached the number twelve on the top. And they were both almost there! Frantically, she opened the fridge and grabbed a few things. Grapes, cheese, spaghetti sauce, and a jar of cherries, as well as ice cream and a two frozen waffles from the freezer. And after taking some cookies, saltine crackers, and peanut butter from the cabinet by the stove, Cheryl managed to make some sort of sandwich out of everything she’d grabbed. It was all food that Toni liked and what better than a sandwich made of all her favorite foods?

Smiling proudly to herself, she delicately placed a cherry on top just like Pop did with his milkshakes and ice cream sundaes before popping a few in her mouth, admiring her creation. Maybe human things weren’t so hard after all. Maybe there were grapes all over the floor, and peanut butter smeared across the counter, but she made something on her own and she was proud of it. 

“Cher? I’m home!” she heard the door open and close along with the voice that made her heart skip a beat. Giggling she ran towards the door, practically bouncing on her feet as she greeted Toni with a kiss.

“Hey, babe,” the pinkette chuckled at how excited Cheryl looked, wondering what the fuss was about.

“I made dinner,” she grinned excitedly, taking hold of Toni’s hand to drag her to the kitchen.

“It’s a little early for dinner, but okay,” Toni quirked an eyebrow. She didn’t know what Cheryl could have made, but the apartment wasn’t on fire, so that was a good sign. Though, she could feel her heart drop in her chest at the sight of the messy kitchen and the feeling of a grape squishing under her shoe. 

“See?” the redhead held up a plate carefully, showing Toni the concoction of a sandwich she’d made just for her, “It has all things you love on it.”

Toni didn’t think her heart could sink any farther in her chest than it already had until she saw the proud look on Cheryl’s face. “Why did you, um...what made you wanna cook?” she chuckled nervously, taking the plate from her carefully. 

“Lucy made dinner for Ricky when he came home from work, and you were coming home from work and I wanted to make you dinner,” she explained with an excited smile. But the glimmer in her eye faded with her smile when she saw Toni just staring at the sandwich. “Do you not like it? It is all food you love,” her voice trailed off a bit, worried that she had upset her.

“No, no, Cher, it’s great it’s just, uh...” Toni’s brows furrowed together as she thought of what to say. She didn’t have the heart to tell Cheryl that her ‘sandwich’ wasn’t exactly appealing. She was right, it was all foods that she liked, but to eat them all combined like this? But before she could come up with anything to say, the plate was being taken from her hands as Cheryl walked away with it.

“You do not like it. I am sorry,” she muttered sadly, placing it on the messy counter.

“No, babe, I didn’t say that. I-“

“You did not have to say it, Toni, you did not look happy,” Cheryl shook her head.

“Hey, I appreciate the gesture. It was really nice of you to think of me like that,” Toni linked her fingers with hers as she slumped against the counter. Her heart broke at the defeated look on Cheryl’s face. She didn’t even think eating the sandwich would help at this point, but it was worth a try. “How about this,” she started, reaching around her to slide the plate over and getting a knife out of the drawer, “I’ll take a bite and you take a bite, okay?”

Cheryl watched, wiping a tear from her eye as she smiled gently, watching Toni try to split her creation in half. Biting her lip, she accepted the half that Toni handed to her, ignoring the melted ice cream and grapes that were falling out from the sides. 

Toni took hold of her own half, taking a deep breath as she met Cheryl’s eyes. This is what love was, right? Doing things to make the other person happy? She braced herself as she bit into it the best she could, her teeth sinking into the thawed, soggy waffle before her taste buds were met with a flavor combination that she couldn’t describe. At least not out loud where Cheryl’s feelings would get hurt. Her eyes practically watered as she chewed, but she kept her poker face on, not wanting to upset the redhead. But one look over at her and Toni could see that Cheryl wasn’t exactly thrilled with the bite she had taken of her half either. 

“That is not very good,” she mumbled through her mouthful, struggling to swallow the strange mashup of food. Toni just laughed and swallowed what she had, being a good sport about it for her girlfriend’s sake. “I am not a good cook. I am sorry, Toni.”

“Cher, you’ve never cooked before. I think you tried to be Gordon Ramsay a little too soon, but that doesn’t mean you’re a bad cook,” the pinkette chuckled.

“Who?”

“Don’t worry about it,” she shook her head, “But look, it was your first time trying to make something, babe. I’ve been cooking for myself for years and I’m still not good at it. Remember when I made spaghetti for us when you first showed up and I burnt it the first time? I mean, how did I manage to burn wet noodles?” she attempted to get her to smile, and thankfully it worked. “It’s gonna take practice, Cher. And hey, maybe we’ll learn a thing or two together.”

Cheryl nodded slowly before Toni leaned in to kiss her, tasting the weird combination of peanut butter and spaghetti sauce on her lips.

“You wanna learn how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?” she cocked her head, subtly throwing the Franken-sandwich away behind her. 

“I cannot eat jelly anymore,” Cheryl muttered with a serious look on her face.

“Why not?”

“The television showed me my friends and they are called jellyfish. I cannot eat my friends, Toni,” she shook her head and crossed her arms defiantly. 

The shorter girl had to bite her lip to keep herself from laughing, though she failed only slightly. “Jelly’s not made from jellyfish. Except maybe on Spongebob. But I promise you it’s not. It’s made from grapes, see?” she pulled the jar out of the fridge and showed her the label, “No jellyfish.”

“Oh. Then yes, I would like to learn how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”

**xxx**

The next day after Toni had gone to work, Cheryl waited anxiously on the balcony for the mail truck to pass by. After Toni had returned from work yesterday, she had taken her out to what she called a ‘hardware store’ to have her very own key to the apartment made! And after a few trial runs of showing her how to use it, Toni said that she could go down to the mailbox outside the building while she was at work if she wanted to! Toni had given her a very important job, and she was determined not to mess it up like she had messed up lunch yesterday.

 _“Just make sure you put your shoes on and take your key with you,”_ Toni had told her. And Cheryl had been repeating it to herself all morning as she sat out on the balcony, practically trembling with anticipation. Each car or truck that passed by made her heart beat faster, but none of them were the mail truck. Toni had showed her what it looks like so she would know it if she saw it.

And finally the truck that looked a big white box passed by, making the redhead jump out of her chair so fast that it fell backwards. But she didn’t care, she had to go get the mail!

Bouncing on her feet, she bounded for the door and grabbed her red tennis shoes, sliding them on. But before she could stand up, she was reminded of when she tried to go out without her shoes tied a few days ago. She tripped over the laces and nearly fell over when she dashed out the door, getting a scrape on her knee. But Toni had tied them for her after. And Toni wasn’t here this time. 

Biting her lip nervously, she reached for the white laces, just holding them in her fingers as she wondered what to do. With her tongue poking out from the corner of her lips, she moved her hands around like Toni did, frowning when the laces remained untied. What was she supposed to do? She had to get the mail. Toni was trusting her.

Slipping the shoes off, she went back to the living room, reaching for the tablet. But her finger hovered hesitantly over the button that would put her in touch with Toni. She wasn’t supposed to bother her at work. Plus, she wanted Toni to think that she had gotten the mail by herself with no problems. Maybe Betty would know how to help. 

“Umm...call Betty,” she spoke out loud, watching as the screen made no changes, “Call Betty, _please_!” She demanded a little louder, shaking the iPad a little with frustration. 

_“How can I help?”_ a robotic voice came from the device, making her shriek a little before dropping it onto the couch cushions. _“I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that.”_

She peered tentatively at the device, wondering what to say back. “I-I need to tie my shoes. I need to go get the mail for Toni or she will be upset,” she told it, hoping that it would help her. 

_“Okay,”_ the robot voice said back, making Cheryl’s eyes light up. Maybe it would help her! _“I found one men’s shoe department within five miles of your location. Would you like directions?”_

Her eager smile quickly turned to a frown as she shook her head no, not answering the tablet. She looked down at her bare feet, wiggling her toes a little. She could just go out with no shoes. She’d done that before. But Toni told her that if she was going to leave the apartment, she had to have shoes on. It was for her safety, she said. 

With a defeated look, she took her key out of her back pocket, frowning down at the cherry keychain with her name on it that Toni had gotten her. She had been so excited to use it on her own and now she couldn’t. 

“I am not very good at being human,” she muttered to herself, dropping the key ring to the floor and kicking it out of her sight with a huff. “I cannot do anything right,” she crossed her arms over her chest and stomped off to the bedroom, slamming the door behind her. She had never felt this way before, and she didn’t like it. Her body was hot and tingly, she wanted to cry, she wanted to scream, she wanted to throw things and kick things. Her arms were shaking and her head was hurting and she didn’t understand, which only made her head hurt more. She didn’t even want to see Toni, and that’s what scared her the most. She always wanted to see Toni. But right now, she just wanted to be alone.

**xxx**

“Cher, I’m back!” Toni called out into the apartment, a little concerned at how quiet it was. Normally if the TV wasn’t on, Cheryl was singing somewhere, or prancing around, keeping herself busy somehow. But it was eerily quiet for an afternoon.

Setting her to-go bag from Pop’s down on the kitchen counter, she glanced around, biting her lip. Aside from the red tennis shoes laid sloppily by the door and the iPad sitting on the couch, there was no sign of Cheryl at all. “Babe?” she called out again, opening the closed bedroom door after checking the empty bathroom. 

She was relieved to see Cheryl laying on the bed, however she couldn’t help the sinking feeling she had in her stomach. “Cher?” she crossed the room and knelt down beside the bed, brushing red hair from her face in an attempt to wake her up. But she wasn’t sleeping. Her eyes were open, already staring back at her. “Hey, are you feeling okay?” she felt her forehead to check for signs of a fever. Did mermaids get fevers?

Cheryl looked up at her with no change to her blank expression. She wanted to tell Toni what she was feeling. Toni knew everything, she could explain what was wrong with her. But she didn’t want to burden her. She had been such a burden to her already. She didn’t want Toni to worry about her or feel like she had to take care of her. That wasn’t fair. Especially when Cheryl couldn’t do the same for her.

“I am fine, Toni,” she forced a smile onto her face after a few moments, sitting up on her elbow so she could press her lips to hers, trying to act as normal as possible so Toni didn’t worry. “I was just resting,” she lied again as she tried to keep her smile on. She didn’t like not telling Toni the truth, even if it was for her benefit.

“Oh okay good. I thought something was wrong,” the pink haired girl smiled as she kissed her again, “I brought Pop’s for lunch if you’re hungry. I have a little longer lunch break than usual today.”

Cheryl just kept her slight smile as she sat up straighter, stretching her limbs a little as Toni tucked her long, copper hair behind her ear. Toni was happy. That was what mattered to her. She didn’t want to ruin that happiness with whatever bad feelings she was feeling now.

“Did you get the mail?” the older girl asked, making Cheryl’s mood plummet further. But she didn’t let it show. She just shook her head no, muttering under her breath that she had forgotten. “Well, it’s okay, we can go get it together after lunch. I doubt there’s anything important anyways.”

Toni watched as her girlfriend nodded with a smile that seemed to never leave her face for even a second. Something wasn’t right. “Are you sure you’re okay?” she tried again. 

“I am okay, Toni. I love you,” the redhead nodded and wrapped her arms around her neck, pulling her in for what she hoped would be a distracting kiss. Sometimes kisses from Toni made her head feel fuzzy and she would forget what they were talking about or what they were doing. So she hoped that she would have the same effect on her. Last thing she wanted was for Toni to find out that she was lying.


	23. Chapter 23

Over the next few days, Toni started to notice subtle little changes in Cheryl’s behavior. The redhead was quiet and closed off until Toni would ask if she was feeling all right. After which, she would force a smile onto her face, attack her with kisses, and act like the world was nothing but sunshine and rainbows. It was turning into a daily occurrence. Every weekday when Toni would return home for her lunch break, she would find Cheryl curled up in a ball on their bed, staring into space. But once Toni would tuck her hair back and ask her what’s wrong, Cheryl would perk right up, plant a kiss (or several) on her lips, and they would go get the mail together if Toni had time after they ate.

“What happened to you wanting to get the mail on your own?” the pinkette chuckled as she stood back up from tying Cheryl’s red tennis shoes for her. 

Brown eyes stared back at her blankly for a moment, deep in thought as her smile faltered a little. “I like to go with you,” a blush took over her pale complexion as she lied through her pearly white teeth, guilt and shame flowing through her veins. She didn’t like lying to Toni, but it was better for her. Toni had lived through so much hurt, she didn’t want to add to it.

“Okay,” the older girl cocked her head to the side a little, reaching up to smooth out some hair from Cheryl’s high ponytail before they walked out the door together. She could feel the damp heat of sweat radiating from Cheryl’s palms as they walked. Along with the fidgeting and her silence, Toni could just tell that something was wrong. But they reached the mailbox in front of the building and Cheryl’s giddiness had returned once more. 

“What did we get?” her ponytail bounced against her shoulders as she hopped in place, “Is there anything for me?”

Toni’s heart sunk a little at the question. All she had was some forwarded mail from New York and junk mail. “Not today, Cher, but...” she handed her a colorful flyer for a new rec center that was opening up across town, “Here, you can have this one.”

For the first time in days, Toni saw genuine happiness in Cheryl’s eyes as she glanced over the flyer she was given. She couldn’t keep up with these mood swings, but she tried to remain as neutral as possible for Cheryl’s sake. 

“I’ve gotta head back to work, but I’ll see you when I get back around five-thirty,” she sighed, taking her hand to walk her back. She knew that Cheryl had a key and could get back in on her own, but she had never had to use it on her own. And the last thing she wanted was to leave her and come back in the evening to find her crying outside their door because she couldn’t get in. Or worse, her not being there at all because she decided to wander around in search of help. “What are you gonna do for the rest of the day?”

“I do not know yet,” Cheryl swung their hands between them, seemingly upbeat once again, “I will probably watch Friends and play Candy Crush.”

Toni nodded quietly. She felt bad about leaving Cheryl at home all the time like a dog. There wasn’t much for her to do around the apartment, and she couldn’t even imagine how boring it was. But what else could she do? Cheryl wasn’t a child, she coudn’t just drop her off at daycare so someone else could keep her entertained for a few hours. 

“Well, I get paid tomorrow, so maybe we can go out and get you some more clothes after I get home?”

“But I like my clothes,” Cheryl pouted, tugging at the hem of her plain pink t-shirt. Along with her cherry print shirt, it was her favorite because it was the same color as Toni’s hair. 

“You can still keep your clothes, you’re just gonna need more than shorts and t-shirts. It’s gonna start getting cold soon,” the shorter girl chuckled as they approached the apartment door. “You wanna unlock the door?” she asked tentatively, holding her key out. Maybe Cheryl had forgotten how to use her key and that’s why she hadn’t been getting the mail. But she watched as the redhead put the key into the lock and twisted it to the right just as she’d been taught, unlocking it with ease. So that can’t have been the problem. She just didn’t understand why Cheryl was so excited about getting the mail on her own, but wasn’t getting it.

There were other little things she was noticing that were strange. Like Cheryl having little to no interest in still learning how to cook, even if it was something simple. She rarely even wanted to help Toni cook when she was usually so eager. Things like bread and condiments were going untouched during the day while she was at work, while things like baggies of chips and jars of cherries were disappearing frequently. 

Something was just very off about her lately, and Toni just couldn’t place what it was. Despite her never explicitly saying so, she knew that Cheryl was sad about losing her tail and her home, and Toni was being there for her as best she could. She knew it couldn’t have been easy, losing pretty much everything she’d ever known. It wasn’t like losing a family member, it was literally losing a way of life and your identity. But Cheryl had hardly talked about it at all. It didn’t seem to bother her as much as Toni would have thought. But regardless, it still didn’t explain why Cheryl had been acting so strange.

“Hey, Betty wanted to know if you wanted to go on a double date with her and Jug tomorrow,” she brushed off her thoughts and smiled at her girlfriend as she kicked her red tennis shoes off by the door. Toni wished she could do the same, but she had to get back to work.

“Double date? We are going on a date twice?” Cheryl’s brow wrinkled in confusion as it often did.

“No, no, a double date is two couples going out on a date together,” Toni explained with a chuckle. She and Cheryl hadn’t been on a real date on their own yet, but she didn’t think the younger girl would mind or even know the difference. “I told her I would ask you. We’d be going to this pretty fancy-ish restaurant on the boardwalk. But if you don’t wanna go, it’s okay. I know you haven’t been feeling great lately...”

Like a switch had gone off in her, Cheryl’s posture straightened as a large smile spread on her face, “I do want to go, Toni. I have never been on a date before! We are a couple and couples go on dates.”

“O-okay,” the pinkette chuckled and glanced at the time on her phone, “I’ll let her know we’re in. I’ve gotta get back to work. I’ll see you tonight?”

“You see me _every_ night, Toni.”

“Right. Well, I’ll see you a little after five,” she nodded with an awkward breath of laughter, tucking her hair behind her ear with a blush before placing a quick peck on Cheryl’s lips and closing the door behind her.

**xxx**

“Right this way,” the hostess lead the foursome to a table by the windows. Toni was holding tightly to Cheryl’s hand as the redhead glanced around curiously. The younger girl had a habit of bolting if she caught sight of something that fascinated her, and despite how different she’d been acting lately, Toni didn’t exactly trust that Cheryl would suddenly stop being a flight risk.

“Lucas, your server, will be right with you. Enjoy,” the petite woman walked away after they were all seated with their menus. 

“Toni, I would like a cherry milkshake and fries,” Cheryl stated surely as she held her menu upside down, glancing it over like the rest of their group. Though the sound of light laughter from Toni, Betty, and Jughead made her lower the leather-bound booklet curiously.

“This place is a little more fancy than Pop’s, Cher,” the pinkette smiled, helping her flip her menu the right way. Truth be told, she was a little worried about bringing Cheryl here, considering it was mainly a seafood restaurant. They lived in a fishing town, after all. Her experience with seeing fish mounted up on the walls of F.P.’s house was probably traumatic enough, Toni didn’t really want to see her reaction to people eating them.

She subtly watched her girlfriend skim through the menu after they’d ordered their drinks, trying to read her thoughts through her facial expressions. The way she bit her painted red lip, the way her eyes widened and her nose scrunched up...she was becoming impossible to read.

“You okay?” she extended a hand under the table to place a comforting hand on her thigh. Cheryl had insisted on wearing leggings to dinner, seemingly upset about the idea of wearing a dress. But Toni managed to compromise with her with a pair of black nylon tights under the same red dress she’d worn to Veronica’s father’s restaurant. She knew they weren’t the most comfortable and she told Cheryl that. But the redhead acted like she would rather die than wear just the dress.

“I am okay,” she nodded with the same over-exaggerated smile she’d been giving Toni all week and placing a quick kiss to her lips before looking back at her menu. 

With flushed cheeks, Toni turned back to her own menu, ignoring the amused look she just _knew_ Betty was giving her. 

“So, Cheryl, how do you like the new apartment?” Jughead placed his menu down on the table and smiled in the redhead’s direction politely.

“I like it,” she nodded with a shrug, “I am with Toni.”

“Is she a good roommate?” Betty chimed in.

Cheryl shook her head. “She is not my roommate, she is my girlfriend. Monica and Rachel were roommates, but they were not girlfriends,” she said pointedly with a smile.

“Is she a good _girlfriend_?” Betty chuckled, laughing even more when Toni’s foot grazed her shin under the table.

“Toni is the best girlfriend in the whole world! She makes good food and watches Friends with me and walks with me to get the mail. And she brings me Pop’s and she smells really good and she is very good at kissing, and last night we-“

“All right, are we ready to order?” the server came back over, setting their drinks down, sending a wave of relief through Toni. She wasn’t a ‘kiss and tell’ kind of person, but apparently Cheryl was an open book. 

“I think we are,” Jughead nodded, gesturing politely to Toni to let her order first.

“She and I are are both gonna have the stuffed chicken breast,” the pink haired girl told the waiter, speaking for herself and Cheryl, handing him their menus as the other couple ordered. The younger girl hadn’t really decided what she wanted, but Toni had been choosing for her lately anyway.

“How’s my mom treating you over at the Register, T? Not too harsh, I hope,” Betty chuckled, sipping at her water after the waiter walked away.

“Well, I told her no special treatment, so she’s been kinda tough on me. But I need it. Your mom’s always been the one getting my ass in gear,” she snorted a light laugh. Alice had always been like a mom to her ever since she and Betty became friends. She was the one who came to pick her up when she got her first period in the middle of the seventh grade winter formal, she taught her how to shave her legs, and she took her in on nights when she just couldn’t bear to be in the Jones house another second. While she would have loved her own mom to have been there for her milestones, Alice Cooper made a nice alternative. 

“She told me you’ve been doing great over there. You’ve always been a natural with a camera.”

“Well, lucky me, Jug changes hobbies faster than he changes hobbies faster than he changes his underwear. I probably would have never gotten into photography if it weren’t for him.”

Jughead rolled his eyes and draped an arm over the back of Betty’s chair, raising an eyebrow at the girl he looked at like a sister, “I’ll take that as a ‘thank you’, so you’re welcome.”

Cheryl couldn’t help but smile slightly to herself as she watched Toni interact with the two people she’d known all her life. She seemed so happy and carefree. She didn’t see her like that often. If anything, the pinkette usually approached and talked to her with caution, like she was afraid to say the wrong thing and upset her. Especially lately. Cheryl knew that Toni was smarter than her and could probably see right through the act she’d been putting on. It’s not that she wasn’t happy. She was in love with her. And Toni said that being in love with someone meant caring about the other persons happiness more than your own. So Cheryl was determined to keep Toni happy, even if it meant smiling through the storm that she felt swirling around inside her.

“Cheryl, do you think you’ll get a job or something soon? I mean, it’s gotta be boring sitting around the apartment alone all the time,” Jughead took a sip of his soda as the redhead suddenly found all eyes on her. 

“I have never had a job,” she mumbled sheepishly, glancing down at her sparkly purple fingernails, “I do not think I would be good at anything.”

“We can look into it if it’s something you wanna do,” Toni assured her, reaching over to brush a few strands of hair back over her shoulder and smoothing them in with the rest. She wasn’t sure how it would work, considering Cheryl had no ID. But there had to be _something_ out there that she could do.

“Everyone has to start somewhere,” Betty chimed in with a smile, “Maybe get to know your neighbors and see if they need their dogs walked or their plants watered while they’re out?”

Cheryl just gave her a simple smile before glancing down at her fingers again, distracting herself with the shimmery purple paint as the conversation went on without her. That feeling was coming back. The feeling that made her heart race and her hands shake. She hated that feeling. Especially since she didn’t know why she got it. A hot blush came over her face, causing her cheeks to itch uncomfortably under the skin as her eyes welled up with unshed tears, eager to spill over. When she got this feeling at home, she would shut herself into the bedroom and lie down to try to rest. Sometimes she felt better after she rested, but other times, it didn’t do her any good. And what she hated the most was that when she felt this way, the last person she wanted to see was Toni. She didn’t want to disappoint her. 

Though it made her feel a little better now, having Toni’s gentle fingers weaving through her own under the table or running through her hair. Even if she didn’t know it, the older girl always made her feel better.

After a few more minutes of three-sided conversation, the waiter came back around with their food, placing the two plates of chicken in front of Cheryl and Toni, a steak in front of Jughead, and a bowl of pasta in front of Betty before walking away again. Thankfully the other couple had listened when Toni asked them not to order any fish when Cheryl’s around, not that they knew why. But the excuse that ‘it makes her uncomfortable’ was apparently enough to prevent further questions. 

Without a word, Toni reached for Cheryl’s plate, starting to cut up her chicken for her. Cheryl barely knew how to hold a fork properly, so a knife (especially a sharp one) was out of the question. 

The redhead glanced over at the other two, noticing how they were already eating, cutting up their own food and holding their forks in what she could only assume was what Toni called ‘the right way’. They didn’t even have to think about it. They just did it, like second nature. Meanwhile Cheryl was still struggling with what appeared to be such a simple task that everyone knew how to do. Everyone but her. 

She swallowed thickly when her plate was slid back in front of her, staring down at it like the food would jump up and attack her if she made any sudden movements. 

“Hey,” a soft voice interrupted her thoughts as she turned to see Toni staring at her. People were always staring at her. Not even her girlfriend’s warm smile and hand on her knee made her feel any better.

Sighing, Cheryl reached for her fork with trembling fingers, trying to hold it the right way like Toni had been showing her. But the uncomfortable positioning of her already shaking fingers made her drop it loudly against her plate. 

More people were looking.

“Cher, are you o-“

“I am _FINE_ ,” she snapped, pulling away before Toni could reach for her, sending her glass of water toppling over the edge of the table in the process. And the sound of glass shattering on the floor had _everyone_ looking right at her.

Her hands felt fuzzy and her head started to hurt, and before anyone could even react to her outburst, she was out of her seat, running for the exit with tears in her eyes. The sound of Toni calling after her just barely registered in her mind as she dodged around people, ignoring their stares as she made a beeline for the door.

She didn’t stop after making it outside. The cool, salty sea air didn’t bring her as much comfort as she thought it would. With a heavily beating heart, she walked briskly down the boardwalk, wiping at her eyes. 

“I should not have left. I am always running away and upsetting Toni,” she mumbled to herself, wrapping her arms across her own chest to protect herself from the chilly breeze. 

Pulling herself over, she found an empty bench by the edge of the boardwalk that faced the dark ocean, curling up under the glow of the streetlight above. All she wanted was some comfort. Seeing Toni made her feel guilty and looking at the water made her both angry and homesick, leaving her feeling lost with nowhere to turn for solace. 

“Remember how I said you’ve gotta stop running away from me?” Toni’s lighthearted voice reached her ears over the sound of waves crashing under the boardwalk, but the redhead didn’t flinch or even react to hearing her voice from a few feet behind her. But her heart did pound in her chest at the sound of footsteps approaching, getting closer and closer until Toni was seated right beside her on the bench. “So...what happened back there?” she asked tentatively, not wanting to upset her any more than she already was.

Cheryl was silent, with the exception of her sporadic sniffles. She couldn’t lie to Toni again. Even if she did, there was no way she would believe her this time. “Everyone was staring. I do not like it when people stare.”

“I’m sure they didn’t mean to stare. It’s just kind of instinct to look and see where a noise came from. And glass breaking _does_ make a pretty loud noise,” Toni shrugged, hesitant in reaching for one of her hands, “But, babe...even before that you’ve been acting weird. Like...all week. I’m worried about you.”

A fresh batch of tears came to Cheryl’s deep brown eyes again. She hated worrying Toni. She was her girlfriend, she was supposed to be making her happy, not making her worry. 

“Cher, please tell me what’s wrong. I promise, whatever it is, we’ll work through it. But I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong,” the pinkette’s voice was like a warm blanket being wrapped around her shoulders. 

“You should not have to help me all the time, Toni,” she whispered through a pitiful little sob, “I should be able to do things on my own. Like make a sandwich, and get the mail, and tie my shoes. Everyone here can use a fork the right way. Why can I not? I am human now, but I do not know how to do normal human things.”

Toni sat silently, waiting until she was sure Cheryl was done speaking. And she had a feeling that her venting was nowhere near over.

“Jughead does not have to cut up Betty’s food,” the former mermaid continued, just as Toni suspected, “and Betty does not have to tie his shoes for him before they go out. Everyone has a job and I do not. Everyone is...happy. And normal. And I am not. I am always confused or sad or angry or nervous. I just want to be like everyone else.”

Running her thumb over Cheryl’s trembling hands, Toni flicked her tongue out over her lips as she thought of what to say. She knew how Cheryl felt. Not in the exact same way, but she remembered the days when she didn’t think she’d ever be happy again. It was scary and frustrating and every day was a battle. She remembered pushing everyone away, telling them she was fine and not to worry. She remembered letting it all bottle up inside until she snapped and exploded on the people who cared about her the most. 

“Cher...you’re only hu-,” she stopped herself before sighing, “You’re human. Everything you’re feeling is normal. Do you feel like a burden?”

“What is a burden?” the younger girl sniffled and wiped under her eyes.

“You feel like everything you do is wrong? And you feel bad asking for help, even though you need it, because you don’t want to upset anyone or annoy them?”

“Yes, that is how I feel,” she nodded quickly, her eyes widening a bit as if Toni had just read her mind.

“Babe, that’s completely normal. Everyone feels like that sometimes. Some more often than others. But you’re _not_ a burden. Farthest thing from it to me. I like helping you. It doesn’t annoy me when you ask for help. And you know what? You’re still learning. Everything that adults know how to do...takes _years_ of practice sometimes. It took me two years to learn how to tie my own shoes. Betty couldn’t ride a bike without training wheels until she was almost twelve. But guess what?”

“What?”

“You know how to unlock the apartment door. And dress yourself. And hell, you learned English faster than anyone else probably ever could,” she chuckled with a reassuring smile, “Everyone learns at different paces. Most of the things you’re learning to do now are things that humans learn as kids; Stuff that you didn’t _have_ to learn as a kid. But you’re learning it now. Not everything is gonna come naturally. You just have to be patient with yourself. No one’s rushing you.”

Biting down on her lip, Cheryl sniffled before falling against her, letting herself get wrapped up in the warmth of Toni’s arms. While she still felt bad for worrying her, it did feel like a large weight had finally been lifted from her shoulders. 

“I love you, Toni,” she mumbled into her shoulder, letting her fingers grasp at the black fabric of her cardigan.

“I love you too. I’m _in_ love with you, okay? That means I’m here for you, babe. Whenever you need my help. I know it’s been kinda crazy lately with my new job and the new apartment, but I’ll always have time for you,” Toni rubbed her back and mumbled into her crown of red hair, “And I don’t want you to feel like you can’t tell me when things are bothering you.”

“I did not want to upset you. You have been through many pains in life. I did not want to be another one. You said love was caring more about the other person’s happiness more than your own,” Cheryl stared up at her with a frown.

“But that doesn’t mean sacrificing your own happiness. I know it’s confusing. It’s confusing for me too sometimes,” she sighed, running her fingers through her hair as they sat in silence. “Do you wanna go back in or head home?” she asked after a few moments.

“Home with Toni,” she sighed, sniffling when her girlfriend pulled away from the hug.

“Okay. I’m just gonna go grab my stuff and have them box up our food. You wanna come or stay out here?”

“I will stay out here.” She didn’t really want to see all those staring faces again. 

“I’ll be right back, then,” Toni kissed her slowly, tucking hair behind her ear before slipping her black cardigan over Cheryl’s pale shoulders.


	24. Chapter 24

A few days after their double date with Betty and Jughead and Cheryl’s confession about why she had been in such a strange mood, Cheryl still wasn’t back to being the 100% happy-go-lucky soul she used to be, but she was getting there. Toni had been teaching her new things, giving her the opportunity to try them on her own before inevitably showing her the right way. It was frustrating for Cheryl, and admittedly a little bit for Toni as well. Cheryl just wanted to be able to do things, and she had a habit of getting upset and giving up not long after trying the first time. And convincing her to try again was getting repetitive for the older girl. 

“What about this one?” Toni held up red dress with cream colored lace around the hem and edges of the short sleeves. She had decided that Cheryl needed some clothes for the cooler weather. All she had of her own were some shorts and t-shirts. But the leggings she was currently wearing every day around the house were Toni’s. 

“No thank you, Toni,” Cheryl murmured as she grazed aimlessly through a display of comfortable lounge pants. 

“Cher, we already have a whole bunch of pants in the cart. This dress is perfect for you. Don’t you want something nice of your own to wear if we go out somewhere fancy?” 

Cheryl looked over at her, eyeing the dress before turning back to the rack of pants without a word, causing Toni to sigh and put the dress in the cart anyways. 

“Hey, what’s going on with you?” she asked quietly, pushing the cart a little closer to where Cheryl was standing, “You didn’t want to wear a dress to dinner the other night, and now you’re turning down every dress and skirt I pick out.” 

Cheryl bit her lip and ran her hands over the fuzzy sleeves of Toni’s pink cardigan that she was wearing. “I do not want people to see.”

“See what?” the pinkette’s brows knit together.

The taller girl looked around briefly, her lip still caught between her teeth before she leaned down to lift up the leg of the black leggings she was currently wearing, revealing what had become of the scar left on her when her parents stripped her of her tail. It looked nothing like it did when Toni had first seen it. The skin wasn’t as red and irritated as it had been before. Now it was just slightly raised and discolored, and truthfully not even very noticeable unless you were _really_ looking.

Realization struck Toni when Cheryl revealed what was bothering her. She felt like mentally kicking herself when she remembered how Cheryl had been wearing pants instead of her usual shorts ever since Toni told her that she didn’t have to wear a bandage over the scar anymore. How could she have been so stupid?

“Babe, no one’s gonna notice your scar. People aren’t gonna make fun of you or anything for it. Everyone has scars from something,” she shook her head with sympathy in her eyes when Cheryl stood back upright.

“But _I_ will notice. And _you_ will notice,” she frowned, “It is...not beautiful.”

Pursing her lips, Toni watched as Cheryl sighed and went back to looking at pants, unsure of what to do. She hated that she was starting to feel insecure. The girl who previously had no shame in herself whatsoever was now worried about something as minuscule as the appearance of a scar on her leg. But being insecure came with being human. The only problem was that Toni had no idea how to help.

“Hey, look,” she muttered, taking off her own cardigan and untucking her t-shirt from her jeans before easing the waistband down a few inches to reveal a line of darkened skin on her right side. “I’ve got one too, see? I’ve got others from different things, but this was always the worst one.”

Cheryl cocked her head at the sight of the scar on Toni’s side, reaching out to run her fingertips delicately over it. “What was taken from you?” she whispered with worried eyes.

“My appendix. When I was thirteen, I had to have it removed. And the scar...well, it wasn’t the prettiest thing ever. And at that age I was already struggling with how I looked and comparing myself to my friends. F.P. told me to start telling people that it was a stab wound from some kind of gang fight so people would think it was cool,” she snorted out a light laugh at the memory of her uncle’s advice. 

“What I’m trying to say was that I cared a lot of about what people thought about it. And I hated looking at it, too, so I understand. But...I wasted a lot of my life being upset over it, when it turns out that most people didn’t even notice it anyways.” She watched as Cheryl eyes glimmered a bit in the fluorescent lighting, hoping she understood. “And this,” she gestured to the scar on her side again, “doesn’t make you love me any less does it?”

A copper ponytail whipped side to side as Cheryl shook her head with a definite no, her eyes turning desperate to sell that ‘no’ even more. “No, Toni, of course not. I love you more than anything.”

Though Toni had heard that what felt like a million times, it still made her heart beat a little faster each time. “I love you too,” she leaned over to kiss her quickly, “So you don’t have to worry about me thinking anything bad about you because of it. Don’t worry about other people seeing it either. And if anyone gives you shit, just tell me and I’ll kick their ass, okay?” 

She chuckled as Cheryl’s forehead wrinkled in confusion “What is giving me shit?” the redhead asked curiously, making Toni laugh harder. With how much the older girl cursed, it amazed her that she hadn’t heard it repeated back to her sooner.

“Like, if someone makes fun of you,” she explained, giggling.

“Oh.”

Toni just shook her head with a few more giggles before reaching for the hanger in the cart, holding up the dress again. “Tell me honestly, though. Forget the scar. Do you like the dress?”

Cheryl nodded slightly and traced the lace with a finger before sighing. “I still do not like to look at it,” she mumbled in reference to the marking on her leg, “It reminds me of what happened. And what my parents said to me. And the pain...”

“Hey, that’s okay. You went through a lot, I get it. And I know that’s not something you can get over easily. I just wanna make sure you’re not trying to please anyone else, that’s all,” Toni shook her head, “It’s getting cold so it’s not like you’ll be wearing shorts and stuff for a while anyways.” 

Cheryl remained silent, still running her fingers over the lace embellishments. 

“Tell you what. We’ll get the dress and you can wear it if you feel comfortable whenever we go out somewhere. And black tights will look good under it if you don’t wanna show your legs. Deal?”

A small smile of relief formed on the redhead’s face as Toni put the dress back into the cart before leaning over to kiss her again, reassuring and slow. “Come on, let’s go see if we can find you some slip-on shoes.”

**xxx**

Of course, Cheryl still struggled over the following days, though she was making progress. She would confidently bring the mail in on her own, now that she had sneakers that she could slip on and not worry about the laces (even though she and Toni were still working on shoe tying). She would make sandwiches for herself for lunch and help Toni make dinner. But despite the progress, her mood hadn’t lifted much. And Toni was running out of ideas.

“I dunno what to do, Betts,” she sighed into the phone at work while she typed away on her laptop, “She’s doing great with everything, but it’s hard to get her to act like she used to.”

_“You think maybe she’s homesick?”_ Betty asked sympathetically.

Toni didn’t know why she would be. According to what Cheryl told her, her parents seemed like major controlling assholes. “Maybe.”

_”Maybe see about going to where she’s from? I mean, she was gone for three weeks, so I’m assuming she’s far from home living here with you.”_

It took everything she had not to laugh at the suggestion. Even if Toni had the ability to go deep into the ocean, she was barely comfortable enough to get near the edge of the water. “I don’t think that would be such a great idea. Her parents are kind of...”

_”What? Homophobic?”_

“Sure.”

_”Okay, well...does she have any comforts of home anywhere at the apartment? Like, pictures or something? I’ve barely set foot out of Riverdale for more than a couple of days, so I know if I moved somewhere far away I’d like to at least have some pictures around or maybe do the things I liked to do at home. Like how I always bring my grandma’s knitting kit with me on long trips?”_

“I guess that’s not a bad idea,” Toni leaned on her elbow, waiting for the clock to tell her that it was time to go home for the day. All this talk and worry was making her miss Cheryl more than she already did. It sucked that her girl was going through so much and probably didn’t even understand most of it. “I’ll talk to her when I get home in a little bit.”

_”Let me know how it goes. And tell her I said hi,”_ she could hear Betty smile into the phone. 

“I will. Thanks, B,” Toni hung up and stared at the clock, willing it to move faster. As much as she didn’t want any special treatment just because she was best friend’s with the editor in chief’s daughter, she _was_ pretty grateful that Alice was understanding enough to let her take longer lunches or go home early if she got her work done. She’d told Alice about Cheryl. Not the entire truth, but she told her that she wasn’t doing so well lately, and thankfully the older woman was understanding as a boss as well as a friend. 

After what felt like an eternity (though it reality, it was only an hour), Toni was finally packing up her things to head home for the weekend. She said goodbye to her colleagues and stepped out into the crisp October air, bundling up her jacket a bit tighter against her on the way to her car before heading back to Paradise Cove. Cheryl had seemed okay when she went home for lunch. She didn’t seem happy, but Toni could tell she was trying. She didn’t want to force her to smile and be peppy like she used to be, but it still pained Toni to see that little half-hearted smiles were the most she could get out of Cheryl nowadays

She pulled up to the apartment after her brief commute, hoping that Cheryl would be okay with having pizza or something delivered tonight. She wasn’t really in the mood to attempt cooking. Met with silence when she walked in the door, she called out for her girlfriend as she set her things down by the door. This wasn’t really unusual lately. More often than not, Cheryl was laying in bed, staring into space, or sitting distractedly on the sofa with the TV on a low volume. But usually she perked up at least a little once Toni approached her. 

Sighing, the pink haired girl stepped farther into the apartment. In such a small space, there were only so many places that Cheryl could go. And if she wasn’t in the open living space, she had to either be in the bedroom or the bathroom. But the empty bed narrowed her option down quickly. She knocked on the closed bathroom door quietly. Hearing the sound of gentle splashing water on the other side put her worries at ease.

“Cher? Are you okay?” she called tentatively, pressing her ear to the door to listen for a response.

“I am okay, Toni,” a pitifully small voice came from the other side. 

With a sigh of both sadness and relief, Toni hesitated at the doorknob. “Can I come in?” 

“Yes.”

Biting her lip, she turned the knob and let herself into the bathroom. Something about the way Cheryl was curled up in the bathtub made her heart want to crack in half. Cheryl was slightly taller than her, but her current demeanor made her seem so much smaller. Like if she stood up, she would only be two feet tall. “Everything okay, babe?” she asked, feeling a little foolish. Obviously she wasn’t okay. 

“I do not know, Toni,” Cheryl shook her head, reaching up to play with a few strands of hair that were long enough to reach the water.

“You know if something’s wrong you can tell me, right? I don’t want you feeling like you can’t come to me when you’re upset,” the older girl sat on the lid of the toilet. 

“I do not want to hurt your feelings,” Cheryl practically whispered, not looking up from the still water.

Toni’s heart sank a little. Whatever was bothering Cheryl had the potential to hurt her feelings. Whatever it was had something to do with her. “You can tell me. We’ll work through it. Do you...not wanna stay here anymore or something?” she asked slowly, swallowing the lump in her throat. Even if Cheryl didn’t want to stay wit her anymore, where else could she go? She couldn’t exactly go back to the ocean. 

“No, Toni, I would like to continue to stay with you. I just...I do not know how to explain what I am feeling. When I am here alone...it feels like...” Toni watched as a tear slipped down her cheek as her pale fingers traced the line of her scar under the water, “It reminds me of when my m-mother and father forced me to stay b-back home.”

Toni’s blood ran cold at those words as realization dawned on her. She may not have been doing it as a cruel form of punishment like her parents had, but she _was_ keeping Cheryl cooped up alone for hours every day with not a lot to do and no one to talk to. 

“I do not feel forced to stay in the apartment,” Cheryl clarified quickly, casting her eyes up to meet hers. And Toni’s heart broke further at the sight of tears shining in them. “I just feel...trapped. I know there are not a lot of things that I can do on my own yet because I am learning. But something I wonder if I will ever be able to do things on my own like you do. You can drive a car and you have a job. I do not think I will ever be able to do those things. And I will be stuck in this apartment forever.”

Toni sunk to her knees in front of the bathtub and reached over the edge to braid Cheryl’s hair back while she explained how she felt. Her hair somehow used to never get tangled. And since the night she washed up on the beach, the amount of hair she had, along with its length, were getting to be a nuisance. If Toni didn’t think that the very idea would frighten her, she would recommend getting it cut.

“I am sorry, Toni,” the redhead ducked her head against her knees her shoulders starting to shake with quiet sobs, “I did not want to hurt your feelings.”

“Cher, you didn’t hurt my feelings. I’m just...sorry that it made you feel that way...and that I didn’t realize it sooner. It’s a tough situation right now, but I promise it won’t be like this forever. Riverdale’s a small, safe town, I know pretty much everyone here. But...I still don’t trust that someone won’t take advantage of your...” she paused to think of the right word, “...naivety.”

“N-naivety?” the redhead blinked her sad brown eyes up at her, keeping her arms wrapped around her knees.

“Yeah,” Toni nodded, reaching over to wipe a tear from her cheek, “We’re from different worlds, babe. You’re not used to how the human world works just yet. Like, if I came to stay with you in the ocean, I wouldn’t know my way around. And you wouldn’t want me swimming around on my own getting lost, right?”

Cheryl shook her head slowly as it seemed that the example was helping her understand a little better. “No, I would not,” she whispered, “There are sharks and other dangerous things in the ocean. I would not want you to get hurt.”

“Exactly. Well...the human world has sharks too, babe. They’re not real sharks, but they act like them, I guess. Some people aren’t nice and do not so nice things to girls like you.”

“What are girls like me? Other mermaids?”

The older girl shook her head with a gentle chuckle, “Not exactly. I mean girls who are innocent and nice to everyone.”

“But I like to be nice to everyone.”

“I know you do, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But you have to be careful who you’re nice to and how nice you are to them. And that’s something that you learn over time.”

“How much time?” Cheryl leaned her head down on her kneecaps, facing Toni with sad eyes. But the pinkette just pursed her lips with sympathy, shaking her head.

“I don’t know,” she reached up to smooth a few loose strands of her hair back from her pale face, “But my plan is to keep you safe, okay? Always. Even after you learn how things work up here.” She leaned over the edge of the tub to press her lips gently to her warm forehead, pulling back to capture her lips with her own after Cheryl picked her head up. 

“I love you, Cheryl,” she whispered, feeling her heart swell in her chest. She had never felt like this about anyone. It was still new and scary, but just one look from Cheryl could make her forget about all her apprehensions. Both of them were going through adjustments of their own. While Toni was trying to work through her fear of commitment and opening up, Cheryl was struggling with being a literal fish out of water. But they were helping each other through it all.

**xxx**

“So what kind of things did you like to do back in the ocean?” Toni asked into the darkness of their bedroom. Neither of them were able to sleep, which lead to them laying on their backs at 2AM while Toni entertained her girlfriend with shadow puppets on the ceiling and a game of twenty questions.

“Many things,” Cheryl giggled as she watched Toni make a dog appear on the ceiling with just her fingers.

“Like what? I’m sure you had friends and hobbies and school or something to go to? I mean, was your best friend a fish like Ariel had Flounder?” the pink haired girl put her phone down turned on her side, propping her head up on her elbow as she smiled at Cheryl in the cool, dim light of her phone’s flashlight. 

Cheryl just mimicked her action with the first genuine smile Toni had seen on her in a while. “I had friends of all kinds. One of my best friends growing up was a...um...” she twirled a finger in the air as if she were trying to draw the creature she had in mind, “there is a name for it...she had a tail like...” she swirled her finger in mid-air again to demonstrate. 

“A curly tail?” Toni asked, reaching for her phone. After a bit of Googling, she showed Cheryl a picture of a seahorse that had come up in her search, making the girl’s eyes light up with excitement.

“Yes, that is her!” she squealed, reaching for the phone to get a closer look, smiling at the screen, “I miss her very much.”

Toni wasn’t sure if Cheryl thought that the photo was actually her seahorse friend, but if she did, she didn’t have the heart to tell her otherwise. “So what else did you like to do besides hang out with your seahorse friend?” Talking to Cheryl about her life in the ocean gave Toni an odd feeling. Not bad, just odd. When she was a kid, all she wanted in life was to meet a mermaid. And now here she was, dating one. It still didn’t feel real. But each time she learned something new about Cheryl’s old home life, she became more and more aware of the fact that it was as real as the sun shining in the sky. 

“There was a man,” the redhead sighed as she reminisced, “He had magic that no one else had. His family has been making the necklaces that allow us to come on land for a very long time. Maybe hundreds of years...”

“I remember you told me that you had them enchant my mom’s locket instead,” Toni nodded.

“Yes I did. The locket was...not as pretty as when I first got it. It was not shiny and the photo was faded. He told me that he could only put the magic into one. One of his necklaces would keep me safe until I returned, but he said putting it into the locket would make it like new. And I did not want to return the locket to you looking like it did. I was not even worried about being without magic after giving it back to you. I thought I would get home quickly.”

Toni watched as Cheryl paused, watching the cogs turn behind her forehead as she told her story.

“I used to watch him work all the time,” she smiled fondly, “I would make necklaces of my own and bring them to show him. I wanted to do what he did. He was the one who brought our worlds together. Without him, we would not be able to come to land. I would not have found you.” The older girl smiled, reaching for Cheryl’s free hand and grazed her thumb over her knuckles as she listened on. “He would tell me stories about humans. How there were some good, some bad...A human saved his life once, many years ago...I think even if I did not have your locket to return, I still would have wanted to come to land.”

“It’s not all great,” Toni shrugged with a chuckle, “I’m sure living in the ocean is way more cool.” She watched as Cheryl smiled slightly, her eyes going distant as she seemed lost in thought. “I know you miss it, babe. I’m sorry.”

Red hair fell in Cheryl’s face as she shook her head. “I do miss it, but it is not home anymore. I am home wherever you are,” pastel fingers came up to affectionately trace a line down the bridge of Toni’s nose down to her bottom lip. And Toni worked her own special brand of magic again, making Cheryl forget her sadness just by kissing the tips of her fingers playfully, causing her to giggle and lean into her warm embrace that she wanted to stay wrapped up in forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m going to try to get the next chapter out on time. This was the last chapter I had pre-written and i finished it a few weeks ago. I have half of the next chapter written, so hopefully I get get it done and posted next Sunday. So just know that chapters might not get posted as regularly as they have been. But we are getting pretty close to the end, so it hopefully won’t be like this for long.
> 
> Also I’m changing the rating to T cause ain’t nothing M rated going on here so yee. Happy New Year!


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hallo again! Sorry about the delay. This is both a late update from Sunday and an early update for this weekend. According to twitter, most people preferred for it to be posted today and the next new chapter will be next Sunday. 
> 
> I hope you all had a great holiday season!

She couldn’t sleep. Cheryl was asleep, but Toni couldn’t sleep. And if there was one thing that she hated in life it was to be restless and alone with her thoughts. There had to be something she could do to help Cheryl get out of this slump. Even if the redhead wasn’t her girlfriend, she saved her life once. That had to count for something.

Sighing quietly to herself, she looked over at the sleeping girl beside her, reaching out to smooth some hair from her face. Cheryl barely stirred aside from a gentle hum and a slight shift in her fingers. Toni hated that the younger girl seemed to have a perpetual worry wrinkle on her forehead when she slept lately. It’s like it had been drawn on since the night she washed up on shore after getting banished from her home. 

She knew Cheryl missed her home and her friends. She had a feeling that a part of her even missed her parents, despite what they had done to her. And what made it worse was knowing that Cheryl never got to say goodbye to anyone. The life she had known was ripped away from her without her permission or even any notice. Her heart ached for her girlfriend. She knew first hand about how life could change at the drop of a hat. She, herself, had gone from a happy kid to a sad orphan so swiftly and unexpectedly that sometimes it still didn’t feel real. She remembered barely getting any time to adjust. She was back to school in a matter of days, all her stuff was moved to the Jones’s house practically overnight. And before she knew it, the house she called home belonged to someone else. 

And Cheryl...Cheryl was pretty much having to start from scratch with the learning curve of a kindergartener despite being fully grown. Toni couldn’t even imagine what it was like in her shoes right now. But if she tried, she imagined that she would be feeling so lost and alone. Sure, she was there for her, and she had other friends through Toni. But there was no one else around like her. The redhead was a stranger in their little beach town, and let’s face it, probably the only one from the ocean. 

Turning over to glance at her phone, she frowned at the time. It was nearing five AM and sleeping was the last thing her body wanted to do. All she wanted to do was to get some answers. How to help Cheryl, what she should do. But who the hell was she supposed to ask? She couldn’t exactly ask Betty or call up her old therapist about this. Toni was sure that if she brought any of this up to a professional they would have her put away in a psych ward somewhere. 

She slipped out of bed and tip-toed to the closet, slipping on a pair of pants and some sneakers. Maybe she just needed to take a drive. One of the things she missed most about living in Riverdale was the freedom to take long drives in the middle of the night. She barely drove at all when she lived in the city. But there was something so therapeutic about driving around alone at night. When she was a kid, she remembered sometimes on the weekends or over the summer, her dad would wake her up when it was still dark out and ask if she wanted to go count street lights. Looking back on it now, he probably just couldn’t leave her alone in the house at night while he went out for a drive on his own. But she never knew. It was an adventure. She would just count each streetlight they passed on her fingers while her father likely was deep in thought in the drivers seat in front of her, plagued by grief and the general stress that comes with being an adult.

Here and now, a big part of her wanted to ask Cheryl if she wanted to come along on her drive, but the rational part of her knew that she really needed to be alone for a little while. Still, she didn’t want the redhead to wake up alone, wondering where she was. Toni would leave her a note if she wasn’t sure that Cheryl wouldn’t understand it. 

With a sigh, she pulled a hoodie on over her t-shirt and tip-toed to the edge of the bed, crouching beside where Cheryl slept and smiling as she brushed her hair back behind her ear. “Cher,” Toni shook her gently, smiling solemnly when her eyes started to blink open right away. Cheryl used to be such a heavy sleeper. “I can’t sleep, I’m gonna out for a drive for a little bit,” she explained quietly as brown eyes started to focus on her in the dark. 

“You will come back?” Cheryl mumbled, her voice thick with sleep as she yawned.

“Yeah, I’ll be back. Maybe a little after the sun comes up, but I’ll be back,” she watched as Cheryl stared at her, wondering what she was thinking. But she brushed it off and pulled the covers up higher to her shoulders and leaned over to kiss her forehead, “Go back to sleep, okay? I love you.”

“Mm’okay, Toni, I love you too.”

Toni watched Cheryl practically fall back asleep in seconds before she stood back up and left the room; Out the door, down to her car, and on the road in a matter of minutes.

_“Fifteen...sixteen...seventeen...”_ she counted in her head as she passed each and every street light. The little game was distracting her from what she really needed to think about, but it brought her peace and comfort as if she were in the backseat again and her dad was sitting where she was now. 

There had to be something she could do for Cheryl. She liked making jewelry back in the ocean, maybe she could get her some kind of kit to make jewelry at home to keep her occupied. Toni had hoped to get more out of their chat from a few hours ago.

It wasn’t until she counted the 178th street light that Toni found herself parked in front of the docks, looking at the endless rows of sailboats swaying in the dark water. And she knew that the fifth row back on the right was where her father’s boat had been docked for over a decade. Her hands trembled and shivers ran up and down her spine as she stared at the labyrinth of masts and flags. Somehow all these boats seemed bigger than she remembered. Either that or the fear was making her feel about two inches tall.

She didn’t know what compelled her to get out of the car and start walking down the creaky wooden dock, but the magnetic pull was undeniable. Like she couldn’t stay away even if she wanted to. Each noisy step closer to her dad’s boat made hear heart beat faster in her chest. It was practically banging against her rib cage when she approached the spot, seeing the faded name on the side.

_Violet_

Stepping closer, Toni smiled a little seeing her mother’s name embellished with a flower, leaning over to run her fingers across the faded letters before her eyes gravitated to the slightly rusted ladder that lead to the deck. Despite her shaking hands, she felt a wave of bravery. She hadn’t set foot on this boat in thirteen years. But she just...had a feeling that it was exactly what she needed to do. 

Stepping over to the ladder, she reached out slowly to grab the first bar, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth.

“She must be awfully important if you’re willing to face one of your greatest fears for her,” a low voice with an English accent pierced the air around her, causing her to jump back a few feet, yelping as if she’d been burned. She turned to face the source of the voice as she scrambled for her mace keychain.

“Relax, Toni, I’m not here to hurt you,” the man in front of her stated calmly as Toni stared at him with wide eyes. His head was completely bald, he had scars on his pale face, and one of his eyes was almost completely white due to a heavily clouded iris. If it weren’t for the loose fitting flannel, cargo shorts and sandals, Toni would assume he was some kind of super villain. 

“Who are you? And how do you know my name?” Toni asked, keeping a hand steady on her keychain in case she needed it. A newborn kitten could take a step on this dock and the wood would squeak. How did he manage to catch her off guard? Unless she was so deep in her trance that she didn’t even notice him approaching.

“Let’s just say I’m a friend of your father’s,” he drawled out, remaining a reasonable distance away, “He saved my life once.”

Squinting incredulously, Toni stared at the mysterious man, wondering what his angle was. Why was he here? How did he know who she was? “I’m...I’m glad to hear that, but what does that have to do with me? A-and how do you know about the whole...greatest fears thing?”

“He loved you very much. Everything he did, he did for you, your mother, or the good of others. He was very selfless. When he saved my life, all I had with me to offer him as a thank you was a gold locket on a chain. I’m sure you’re familiar with it,” he ignored her questions, stepping a bit closer.

Her heart stopped beating in her chest as she slowly let go of her keychain. “He got that locket when he was fourteen...he gave it to my mom a little while after they started dating,” she muttered skeptically.

The man nodded with a soft smile on his thin lips, “I remember.” 

He reached into one of the pockets of his khaki shorts as he stepped closer again. And Toni was too lost and confused to be fazed by the potential threat. There was something about this stranger that made her feel oddly safe. Like he was an old relative or some kind of guardian angel.

“Is your girl waiting for you at home?” he asked, pulling out a small object from his pocket and holding it in his hands where she couldn’t see, “Cheryl, is it?”

She tried to keep her best poker face, trying not to answer. If this guy was after Cheryl, she didn’t want to give away her whereabouts. Then again, who would come looking for a banished mermaid?

“Give her this,” he hands her the item from his pocket: a small scallop shell on a thin silver chain. “I know the locket isn’t much use to her anymore. But it was never meant for her to begin with.”

She took hold of the chain with quivering fingers, watching as the moonlight bounced off the silver. What the hell was going on? Maybe she _had_ fallen asleep and all of this was some crazy dream. “What is this supposed to b-“ she looked up from the necklace in her hand to face the mysterious man only to see him walking away, turning the corner around the boat, “Hey, wait a minute! What is this? Who are you?” 

She called after him, her footsteps creaking rhythmically on the wood as she followed. But when she turned the corner, he was nowhere to be seen. Gone without a trace.

**xxx**

Toni sat alone in her car, staring at the rising sun shining on her apartment building. She hadn’t been there long, but she wasn’t mentally or emotionally prepared to tell Cheryl about what had happened down at the docks. And the more she thought about it, the more it just seemed like some kind of dream. It was too far-fetched to be reality. And if it was reality, it was awfully creepy how some guy seemed to know all about her life, her dad, and her girlfriend. But then again, said girlfriend _was_ a living, breathing mermaid. The impossible had certainly deemed itself possible.

She looked down at the necklace in her hands, wondering what to say to Cheryl about it. Why was that guy being so cryptic? And what did he mean when he said the locket was never meant for Cheryl? What were the chances that the man at the docks was the man Cheryl had been talking about? Or someone from her world with magic and that’s how they knew so much about her? Cheryl said that a human had saved her friend’s life. And the stranger at the docks said that her father had saved his. But if it was really him, why didn’t he give her any kind of instructions? All he said was to give the necklace to Cheryl. It must have been magic...but what if it didn’t work? What if she gave the necklace to Cheryl and got her hopes up just to have them come crashing back down again? She couldn’t bear to do that to her.

Biting her lip, Toni sighed deeply, putting the slim chain in the pocket of her hoodie before getting out of the car. As much as she told Cheryl that there’s no such thing as normal, she wished that things could just be normal right now. Everything was just so complicated. She could barely understand her own emotions, let alone Cheryl’s. And worst of all, she didn’t know how to help. Lately she’d been trying to find the fine line between coddling her and leaving her to fend for herself when it came to learning new things. But it amazed her how patient she was learning she could be. Before Cheryl came along, Toni never had patience for anything.

Unlocking the apartment door quietly, she was prepared to leave the lights off and fall back into bed. But Cheryl emerged from their bedroom in her favorite cherry print t-shirt and a new pair of dark blue skinny jeans, obviously a little uncomfortable in the restricting denim judging by the way she walked and the look on her face. “Hey, babe,” Toni chuckled, setting her keys down on the table as Cheryl’s uncomfortable scowl turned into a grin at the sight of her, “You’re up early.”

“I woke up and could not go back to sleep,” the redhead shrugged, hugging her around her shoulders when she got close enough, “I had our new friend Alexa call Betty to see if she wanted to meet us at Pop’s for breakfast.” 

Toni winced a bit as she hugged Cheryl back, knowing today was Betty’s only day off for the week. The last place she probably wanted to go was work. Especially so early in the morning. “I guess she said yes since you’re dressed?” she chuckled after pulling back from the hug. 

“She said she will meet us there at seven,” the younger girl nodded excitedly with a big smile on her face, clearly proud of herself for making plans on her own. That and the fact that she got her jeans zipped and buttoned without any help, she seemed to be in a great mood. Especially compared to lately. 

As small as it was, Toni could feel the weight of the silver chain and scallop shell in her pocket. But she just couldn’t tell her about it. For all she knew, it was some kind of joke and she didn’t want to ruin Cheryl’s good mood if she turned out to be right. 

She watched her girlfriend hum a happy tune as she practically skipped to the door to slip her shoes on confidently. As bad as Toni felt for hiding it from her, it definitely wasn’t worth the risk. She just couldn’t do that to Cheryl when she was finally starting to act like herself again. 

“Toni, you are staring,” a cheerful, but concerned voice broke the silence in the room, causing the pinkette to shake her head a little to snap herself back into reality.

“Sorry. I was just um...I’ll be right back and then we can go, okay?” She watched Cheryl nod and smile as she put on her jacket before she walked to their bedroom, fishing the necklace from her pocket. Taking one last look at it, she placed it in the jewelry box she kept on her dresser, tucked in safely with her mother’s locket.

“Hey, babe?” she called quietly as she walked back out, closing the bedroom door behind her.

“Yeah, _babe_?” Cheryl giggled from the doorway. It was like music to Toni’s ears, but she couldn’t help but wonder where it came from.

“Not that I’m complaining, but...how come you’re suddenly so...I dunno, cheerful?” she asked, ignoring the blush on her cheeks as she fixed her hair into a bun. 

Cheryl bit her lip and glanced down at her slip on shoes, wiggling her toes under the red canvas. “I do not know. I was awake and could not sleep and I had much time to think. And I thought that...it is not good for me to always be sad.”

Toni quirked an eyebrow at her words. It seemed like her trip out this morning may have been beneficial for both of them, oddly enough. “That’s...great, Cher,” she smiled a little, despite her slight disbelief.

“Your face is sad, Toni.”

Damn, she really needed to work on her poker face. For someone who was still learning about something as simple as a handshake, Cheryl didn’t seem to miss a thing. “No, no, I’m not sad. I mean...I guess I’m just surprised? I mean, just last night you were talking about how much you missed your friends and your life back home.”

“Well...I do miss the ocean and my friends, but...I am here. Land is my home now. I am with you and we are in love. And I should be happy about that. I _am_ happy about that.”

Toni smiled warmly and stepped closer to her girlfriend, feeling her heart swell with a bit of pride. She knew this wasn’t easy for Cheryl, and even though she was trying to make it as easy of a process for her as she could, there was nothing Toni could do to take the pain of what happened to her away.

“It is like the movie we watched about the cat,” Cheryl continued, showing her pearly white teeth.

“Movie about a cat?”

“Yes. He is friends with a monkey and the monkey tells him that the past can hurt, but you can either run from it or learn from it. Remember? Hakuna Matata?”

“You mean _The Lion King_?” Toni pursed her lips together in a tight line to keep herself from laughing at her girlfriend’s blissful ignorance. Technically she wasn’t wrong in calling Simba a cat.

“Yes, that is the one. I am going to try not to be sad about the past anymore. I am going to be happier for me and for you,” Cheryl reached over to squeeze Toni’s slim fingers in her own. 

The older girl squeezed back affectionately, nodding her head in approval, “I’m proud of you, babe. Really. I know all of this is confusing. Even for me it is, but...just remember you don’t have to pretend with me, okay? If you’re sad, you can be sad. And you can come to me anytime if something’s bothering you.”

“No more pretending. I will try that. I promise,” Cheryl nodded, closing the space between them to peck her lips swiftly before turning on her heel and leading her out the door. And for the first time in a while, Toni believed that Cheryl truly was fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed the chapter count from unknown to 30. And I only have two more chapters to write including the epilogue. So, if I manage to finish in a reasonable amount of time, updates can either continue to be weekly or they might be sundays and Wednesdays, but comment or vote in the twitter poll what you’d prefer (@choniblopaz1)


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy sunday! this fic is officially done being written, so as per the twitter poll i posted last week, updates will be on sundays and wednesdays for the next few chapters.

“Look, Toni!” Cheryl came bounding into the kitchen where Toni was making tea for each of them to wind down from the day. 

She didn’t know where Cheryl got this burst of energy from, but the girl had her running around town most of the day. After they had breakfast with Betty at Pop’s, Cheryl wanted to get her hair cut. She had brought it up so abruptly that Toni wasn’t even sure if she heard her right when she asked the first time. 

_“It is a human thing to do. I am human now,”_ she had uttered so surely. Though, her confidence dwindled at the salon where Toni ended up holding her hand through most of it. But now Cheryl’s long, tangly hair was styled and ended just below her shoulder blades. Her dip in confidence wasn’t the only time that her sudden happiness had taken a hit today. At breakfast, Toni kept catching her zoning out, lost in thought. But she was fine the second Pop Tate set a whipped cream and cherries covered waffle in front of her.

After her haircut, Cheryl wanted to see Frozen 2, which she loved, despite not seeing the first one. And after lunch, ice cream, and a grocery shopping trip, they had dinner and watched the first Frozen while Cheryl strung beads onto chains and string with the jewelry making kit Toni had bought for her. And after all this, the pink haired girl was completely worn out, especially after getting no sleep the night before. But she didn’t mind. It was nice to see her girlfriend genuinely happy and laughing again. But she couldn’t help but still feel the heavy guilt in her chest. She could practically hear the necklace calling for her from the jewelry box like something out of an Edgar Allan Poe story.

“Looks good, babe,” Toni smiled at the bracelet covered in pink and red beads of all shapes and sizes in no particular order. 

“It is for you. I made one for me too. It is made of our favorite colors,” the redhead explained, practically bouncing on her bare feet, “It is to thank you for the fun day we had today.”

“It’s beautiful, Cher,” she thanked her with a warm smile and a kiss, slipping it onto her wrist and admiring it before handing her a mug. “It’s hot so be careful,” she warned her gently.

Cheryl nodded and carried the mug carefully back to the living room, plopping herself down on the floor behind the coffee table so she could make more jewelry while Frozen played on the TV for the third time tonight. Meanwhile, Toni distractedly stirred more honey into her tea. Her heart was pounding in her chest as the feeling of red hot guilt continued to bubble in the pit of her stomach. She hated lying to Cheryl. 

_Technically, it’s not lying. It’s not like she asked what happened. She has no idea._

Toni winced at that thought as it only made her feel worse. She loved Cheryl, she wasn’t supposed to keep secrets from her. But if the man at the docks was who she thinks he was, then this secret wasn’t something small. It would be huge for Cheryl. If it gave her her tail back, it would be life changing. But the fear of it not working still lingered in the back of her mind. 

Cheryl hummed along with “Let It Go”, distracted by her mess of beads and string as Toni slowly moved across the room to their bedroom, closing the door behind her. She felt like her vision was tunneling as she approached the jewelry box, picking up the little shell necklace she’d been given earlier today. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to tell herself that everything would be okay. Whatever happened, she would be there for Cheryl. It had to work, though. Who else could the mysterious man be besides the wizard Cheryl had told her about last night? If what Cheryl told her was true, he had magic more powerful than anyone in the ocean. It just had to work.

With a determined breath, Toni walked back out into the living room and sat down beside Cheryl, who just smiled at her and showed her a necklace seemingly inspired by Elsa’s new icy blue dress.

“Pretty,” she put on a quick grin before reaching for the remote to pause the movie, “I gotta talk to you about something.”

“Okay, Toni,” Cheryl smiled, putting down the necklace with a smile so she could listen attentively.

“So, um...” she tried to start, obviously not succeeding confidently, “When I went out this morning, I kinda just...drove around for a while and I ended up at the boat docks...”

“That is where Violet is,” Cheryl commented with a nod of her head.

“Right,” the pinkette nodded back, clearing her throat as she ran a tongue over her dry lips, “When I got there...I dunno something told me to get out and go see...Violet. And when I did...this guy came out of nowhere and started asking me about you...and telling me about my dad. I guess my dad saved his life once.”

Cheryl listened with attentive, wide eyes, focusing on what Toni had to say. 

“Cheryl, he gave me this,” Toni muttered quietly, revealing the scallop shell and silver chain in the palm of her hand, watching as Cheryl’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped, “He told me to give it to you.”

The redhead picked up the necklace and examined it with awe written all over her face. “This is from where I am from. It is the necklace I was supposed to have to come on land,” she nearly whispered as a smile started to creep onto her face, “What did the man look like?”

Swallowing hard, Toni could feel her heart pounding in her chest, “H-he was bald...really pale. He had a few scars around his face and arms...one of his eyes was almost all white-“

“That is him, Toni! That is him!” Cheryl bolted up from the floor, bouncing excitedly on the balls of her feet as she looked at the necklace, fumbling to put it around her neck. She let out a screech that had Toni reaching to cover her ears as she squeezed her eyes shut. “That is his name, Toni, that is him!” 

Once the necklace was secure around her neck, Cheryl dashed off to the bedroom, leaving Toni in her dust; Frozen and jewelry forgotten. 

“Cheryl!” she called after her, following her to the bedroom. She heard the sound of the bathtub faucet running as she turned the corner to see Cheryl leaning over the edge to plug the drain. “Cheryl...I don’t know-“

“It was him, Toni!” the younger girl breathed happily, impatiently tugging the blue jeans down her legs, “He told me when I was very small that he was creating magic that could take away a banishment curse.”

“Do you know how it works?” Toni approached slowly, leaning against the sink.

“It should work just like the locket, but the...the um...different way,” she struggled to find the word.

“Opposite? Like, instead of not having a tail when you wear the necklace, you’ll have one when you do wear it?”

“Yes! With the locket, I would keep my legs even in water. But with this necklace,” Cheryl reached up to hold the scallop shell eagerly, “I will get my tail back if I wear it while I am in water.”

Toni pulled her lips between her teeth, not wanting to discourage Cheryl’s excitement. But she had a really bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Somehow, even worse than the guilt she’d been feeling all day. But maybe it just might work...

Stopping the drain, Cheryl turned to the shorter girl with a smile and wide, excited eyes before she took a deep breath and stepped over the edge of the tub and into the shallow water. She bit her lip as she sat down in the tub, submerging her legs entirely. But the only thing that changed was the white hem of her t-shirt turning transparent from the water.

Toni’s heart sank as she watched Cheryl’s hopeful smile start to falter. The redhead reached for the knob to turn the water back on, cupping it in her hands as she desperately started to cover herself with it, not caring that her shirt was getting wet. Her wet hand came up to the scallop shell, as her face scrunched up with determination, willing it to work. 

“Cher,” Toni’s eyes welled up with tears as Cheryl started shoveling water from her hands to her hair, dousing herself in what was turning out to be a useless attempt at getting her tail back. “Cher, babe, stop it’s not working,” she shook her head, sitting on the edge of the bathtub and reaching for her hands to stop her. It was obvious that whatever magic was supposed to be in the necklace wasn’t there, but Cheryl seemed to be refusing to accept it. The wizard himself had come to land to give her her tail back. Why wasn’t it working? 

“No! No, it is supposed to work! It is supposed to give me back my tail!” Cheryl cried, wriggling out of Toni’s grasp to keep trying. Nothing was working. She tried uselessly rubbing the water into her skin, her fingernails clawing at her legs like she were trying to break the skin, as if the tail was underneath. 

“Cher-“ Toni grabbed tight to her shoulders. But her hands came up to her ears again as her girlfriend let out the most deafening shriek she’d ever heard. More than the excited one she’d heard just a minute ago. More than the one she’d let out weeks ago when Betty was trying to take her back to Riverdale from the city. Whatever language it was, there was power behind it. Enough power to crack the mirror over the sink. And when she shrill noise stopped, Cheryl let her beet red face fall into her wet, trembling hands as her entire body shook with heavy sobs. 

Toni slowly lowered her hands from her ears and reached over to unplug the drain, grabbing Cheryl’s red towel as the water lowered until it was finally gone. She unfolded the towel and climbed into the bathtub, sitting across from where Cheryl had pulled her knees to her chest. The warm water leftover on the bottom of the tub was seeping through her socks and leggings, but it was the last thing on her mind as she wrapped her girlfriend up in her towel and held her close, hugging her as tightly as she could. Toni’s heart broke a little bit more with each continuous tremor she felt in her embrace. This is exactly what she was afraid of. And she couldn’t get the look on Cheryl’s face when she realized that she’d been let down out of her mind. 

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered against damp red hair, kissing it gently. But Cheryl was silent with the exception of her consistent heavy sobbing. And that’s how they stayed for the better part of an hour. Cheryl’s hair had dried, their clothes were simply damp, and Toni could finally feel the vibrations from Cheryl’s body come to a stop. 

She had a feeling that words weren’t what Cheryl needed right now. She didn’t know what she needed, but she was pretty sure that right now, reassuring words weren’t it. Instead, she helped her up, lead her to their bedroom, dressed her in warm dry pajamas, and tucked her into bed, refusing to let her go. The lights and TV were still on in the other room and their tea was left untouched on the coffee table, but all that could be taken care of later. Right now, all Toni cared about was the broken girl beside her who was clutching onto her as if her life depended on it.

**xxx**

If it weren’t for the sleepless night she had the night before, Toni probably wouldn’t have been able to sleep a wink that night. As concerned and worried as she was about Cheryl, she just couldn’t fight the exhaustion from the day and the emotionally draining end to it. 

Thankfully, as distressed as she was, Cheryl slept through the night. But it broke Toni’s heart in half all over again to see the way her usually flawless complexion was still splotchy from crying, and her cheeks were tracked with dried, salty tears. And what made it worse was that Cheryl was finally trying to be happier. But the universe just couldn’t let her have one whole good day. 

Toni sighed deeply as Cheryl slept beside her, not even stirring at the morning sun shining through the curtains. She reached up to tuck loose strands of newly cut hair behind her ear, tracing her thumb across the apple of her cheek as she marveled at how stunning her girlfriend was even in her current state. All she wanted was for her to be happy. But now Cheryl was sad and Toni felt guilt worse than when she had been hiding the necklace from her yesterday. She had told her about it with good intentions, and deep down, maybe she truly thought that it would work. But now, she wished she had never given it to her at all. 

Leaning over carefully, Toni placed a soft kiss on Cheryl’s brow, lingering for a few moments as she tried to convey how sorry she was through the kiss. A hand trailed up her back as she pulled back, feeling trembling fingers grasping tightly to the thick fabric of her hoodie. Cheryl was awake. But Toni just kept her close, peppering comforting kisses all along her girlfriend’s creased forehead as she tried to smooth the worry lines away. She could hear the pitiful cries stifled against her collarbone and she felt the tremors that coursed through Cheryl’s body as she started to cry again, most likely remembering what had happened the night before. 

“I am s-sorry, Toni,” the pink haired girl could barely make out what was being muffled against her clothes.

“What are you sorry for? You have _nothing_ to be sorry for. If anything, I should be apologizing to you,” she whispered, still pressing comforting little pecks along the lines of Cheryl’s face.

“I-I told you that I was going to be happy and I b-broke my p-promise,” the distressed redhead whimpered, looking up at her with tear-filled eyes, clutching even harder to the back of her hoodie to keep her close.

“Hey, no,” Toni shook her head and pulled back a little to see her better, “I wasn’t expecting you to be happy all the time, babe. I just didn’t want to see you sad all the time. I’m not happy all the time. I don’t know anybody who is.”

Cheryl just sniffled as another small sob came from between her swollen pink lips. 

“You can be happy and still get sad or angry about things that upset you. Last night was upsetting, I know it was. You got your hopes up and they were crushed,” Toni sighed, feeling the pang of guilt in her stomach again. 

“But I should not want my tail back. I am human. It is in the past.”

“And...as a human, it’s normal to miss where you come from and the life you used to have. It’s normal to be sad about it. Especially since you didn’t get a proper goodbye,” she mumbled, “I hate that it didn’t work, Cher. For a minute, I really thought it would. And seeing you so upset just...” She didn’t even know what to say to describe it. She’d experienced plenty of heartbreak in her life, but something about watching someone you love experience their own heartbreak, especially when there’s nothing you can do about it...it was a feeling she had never experienced. It was anger, sadness, regret, guilt, and almost every other negative emotion mixed into one swirling ball of chaos in her mind. 

“I love you, babe. I wish I could make this all easier for you,” she kissed the top of her head as Cheryl nuzzled into her neck again. 

“You are here with me, that is making it easier,” the younger girl’s voice was quiet as she sniffled and wiped at her tears, staying as close to Toni as she could. And Toni tried her hardest to believe it was true. 

“We should get up, it’s almost noon,” she looked at her alarm clock over Cheryl’s mop of red hair, but her girlfriend shook her head and clung to her tighter. “Cher, come on, we need to eat something. It’s practically lunch time.”

“I am not hungry,” she heard her mutter.

“Can you eat something small? Please? You can’t just not eat, babe,” she combed her fingers through her hair gently, grateful that it wasn’t as tangled even though it had gotten wet the night before.

“You will stay with me?” Cheryl picked her head up again, searching Toni’s eyes.

“Of course. I’m not going anywhere.”

Nodding, she laid her head back down on the older girl’s chest and sighed, “I do not want to be alone.”

Toni could feel her already broken heart shatter into smaller pieces at the desperation in Cheryl’s voice. “You’re not alone, Cheryl. I’m right here. Always.”

**xxx**

Cheryl clung to her side all day. Toni didn’t really mind, but she didn’t want it to become a habit. It would only make things worse if she let Cheryl think that she would be able to be by her side every second of the day. And even though her girlfriend never seemed to take things figuratively, she was glad to see that she didn’t get upset if Toni had to leave the room, separating them for only a few minutes. She could only imagine how far south things would go if Cheryl had taken her words from earlier in the day literally. But she seemed to understand that even if Toni couldn’t always be there with her, she was always there _for_ her.

The older girl was relieved and even comforted by the fact that Cheryl seemed to understand. To a point that she felt like she could actually rest easy. But even with Cheryl sleeping peacefully by her side now, so close to midnight, Toni found herself unable to sleep once again. Even if Cheryl was trying to move past the events of the previous night, Toni couldn’t help but linger on them. From the look on Cheryl’s face the very moment her hopes were crushed to the way she clung to her so tightly as she cried herself to sleep in her arms. It made her feel just about every negative feeling in the book. She was sad, of course. She felt guilty for being one of the causes of Cheryl’s heartache. But most of all she found herself feeling just plain angry. She was angry that the magic didn’t work, she was angry that the mysterious man at the docks had lied to her, and she was angry that she had to sit back and feel useless while Cheryl suffered. If there was one thing she hated, it was feeling useless. She was Cheryl’s girlfriend, she should be able to do something more than just hold her when she cried. Even if that helped, it didn’t feel like enough. 

There had to be something she could do. She knew she wasn’t the cause of Cheryl’s sadness, but she couldn’t help but feel partially responsible. 

With a deep sigh, she sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes, looking down at her sleeping girlfriend with a solemn smile. She brushed her hair from her face and kissed the top of her head before getting up to slip on a pair of sweats under her long t-shirt. She didn’t plan on being out long, but she knew what she needed to do. She at least had to try. 

“Cher, baby, wake up,” she shook the redhead’s arm gently, watching as she began to slowly stir with a yawn, “I’ll be right back, I’m just gonna go out for a little bit. I didn’t want you to wake up by yourself.”

Cheryl just nodded and leaned up to place a slow and gentle kiss to her lips. “Thank you for telling me, Toni,” she mumbled sleepily before falling back onto the pillows.

“Love you. I’ll be back in a little bit,” Toni whispered back, kissing her once more before silently leaving the room. And for the second time in the past two days, she was out on the street in the middle of the night. Only this time, she knew exactly where she was going. 

She drove right up to the docks and parked in the closest spot, her heart clenching a bit at the sight of the line of fishing boats lined up in multiple rows as she wondered if the mere sight of boats would ever _not_ affect her the way they did.

With a determined huff, Toni got out of the car and practically stomped onto the wooden deck, hearing each and every creak under her steps. Glancing around, she held her hands in her jacket pockets, shielding them from the chilly night air. 

“Okay, come on out,” she demanded into the night. Though the only response she received was a small breeze and the sound of small ripples of water splashing against the beams holding the dock up above the surface. “What, do I have to say your name three times like Beetlejuice or something?” she sighed, looking around. Even if that was the trick, she didn’t have a name to repeat. 

“Seriously, dude, come on. I left Cheryl on her own to come out here and find you. So I can tell you how shitty I think it is that you gave me that faulty fucking necklace to give to her,” she could see the fog of her breath under the light from the lamps overhead, “You knew how important this was to her and you lied! And now I’m out here trying to fight for her, looking like a fucking lunatic talking to myself in the middle of the night and you can’t even show yourself!”

She was met with silence once again.

“I know you can hear me. Wherever the hell you are. You’re supposed to be her friend! How could you do this to her?” she kicked rock down the dock, still glancing around in case he showed up. Tears welled up in her eyes as memories of two nights ago replayed in her head again. How long was her brain going to keep torturing her with the look of complete devastation on Cheryl’s face. And that noise she made...Toni didn’t have to know how to speak mermaid to know that it was a noise of total anguish and despair.

“Please...” she whispered into the night again in one final attempt, “Please just...come out and tell me what to do. I have to help her, I can’t stand seeing her like this. She doesn’t deserve this...Please...”

Nothing. 

After a few moments of hopeful silence, Toni wipes her eyes and nodded, realizing that she was on her own. She would just have to figure it out for herself.


	27. Chapter 27

It took a lot of convincing, but Toni managed to get Alice to let her work from home. At least for a few days. She was able to keep in contact with her colleagues on what she needed for an article and turn in her work via email. Anything that she couldn’t turn in electronically, she could just drive up to The Register and drop it off with Cheryl in tow. It had only been two days, but she couldn’t tell how long her days would look like this. Cheryl wasn’t as depressed as she had been on Sunday when all she wanted to do was lay in bed or just be with Toni. But she wasn’t skipping around telling Toni not to worry about her either. She could tell Cheryl wasn’t okay, and she didn’t expect her to be. But that didn’t mean it hurt any less when she would catch her crying or staring off into space like she was watching paint dry. 

“Hey, Cher, I have to drop off these prints at the office, you wanna come?” she spun around in her desk chair to face the redhead who was currently stringing beads onto stretchy thread, apparently too distracted to answer. “Cher?”

“Hm?” she whipped her head up with wide eyes, not realizing that she had been in a daze.

“I’ve gotta go drop stuff off, you wanna come with me?” Toni repeated with a sympathetic smile. 

“Oh. No thank you, Toni. I will stay here and work on my jewelry,” Cheryl flashed her a bit of a grin with a nod of her head.

“Okay. Do you want me to get you more beads on my way home? Are you running out of string?” she got up, starting to pack up the things she needed to take with her. If Cheryl was okay with being left by herself that was a good sign, right? She wasn’t going to question it. 

A shake of Cheryl’s head was the only answer she got, but a happy little smile spread from cheek to cheek when Toni came over to kiss her goodbye. 

“I’ll see you in a little bit. Are you sure you don’t want any more beads? You’ve gone through a ton,” the pinkette sat on her knees beside her girlfriend, looking at the seemingly endless necklaces, bracelets, and earrings that Cheryl had managed to put together. Thankfully tying small knots in the string was getting easier for her, which meant that she might start improving in her shoe tying soon as well. 

Again, she was left without a response. Instead, Cheryl reached for a slim gold colored chain with a pale pink heart-shaped gemstone strung up on it and brought it around Toni’s neck, clasping the end pieces together as she smiled at her handiwork.

“Is this for me too?” the older girl looked down at the pink stone as Cheryl nodded. “Hey this stuff’s really good, Cher. Maybe we can open up an Etsy shop for you or something,” she chuckled, even though she was completely serious. Some of the things Cheryl was making were things that she would see in jewelry stores. As she gained experience, her designs were becoming more and more detailed and intricate. 

“What is an Etsy?” 

“It’s a store online where you can buy and sell handmade stuff. I’m sure this stuff would make a killing, Cher, it’s beautiful.”

“I do not want to kill,” she shook her head vigorously with worry in her eyes, looking back at her creations as if she had made a mistake. 

“No, no, it’s just an expression,” Toni chuckled, “What I meant to say was I think they’ll be really popular and you might be able to make a decent amount of your own money by selling them.”

“Real money?”

“Yeah, real money. That’d be cool, right? Making your own money? I mean, I don’t mind buying stuff for you, but it’ll give you something to do that’s just your own. But I would still help you out with it.”

Cheryl looked back at the coffee table covered in different colored stones and beads, the cogs turning in her head as her lips curled up into the slightest smile. “It would be like a job?”

With a giggle, Toni nodded again, “Yeah! Just like a job. You can work from home and be your own boss, which is actually the coolest job ever.” That actually worked out perfectly if that’s what Cheryl wanted to do. She wouldn’t need any kind of ID and she wouldn’t have to worry about a commute, but it would still give her a sense of purpose and something to do. 

“Think it over, okay? It’s your stuff, you can do what you want with it. I’ll be back in a little bit,” she kissed her temple gently, uttering out a quick ‘I love you’, before making her way to the door. 

****

xxx

****

**  
**

“How is Cheryl doing?” Alice asked as Toni handed her the assignment she was given for the day, leaning against the water cooler with a mug of coffee in her hand. 

“She’s...” Toni trailed off, not really sure of how to answer, “I dunno. I can’t tell. Sometimes she’s happy, sometimes she’s sad, and sometimes I just catch her staring off into space for no reason. I don’t know how I’m supposed to tell how she’s doing when it’s all over the place like that.”

“Well, keep an eye on her. Does she have any family she can contact? Maybe she’s just homesick.”

The pink haired girl shook her head, “She was kicked out of her home and practically shunned.”

“Well, it’s understandable that she’s feeling depressed lately,” Alice shrugged, sipping at her coffee, “I know you didn’t _want_ to come home after leaving, but imagine if it wasn’t even your choice. And in a new place, she probably feels really lost and alone.”

“Yeah, I know,” she sighed, “I just wish I knew how to help. I feel like just being there for her isn’t enough.”

“Toni, listen. When I was sixteen and got pregnant with Polly, my mother packed my bags for me and told me not to bother even showing my face in Connecticut again. And when I came here to live with my aunt, I was the new kid in town. The _pregnant_ new kid in town. And you know who my first friend was?”

“My mom,” Toni nodded with a knowing smile. She didn’t hear this story often, but she knew that her mom and Alice Cooper had been best friends since high school. Aside from her dad, Alice was the person who took her mom’s death the hardest. 

“That’s right. She came up to me in the cafeteria, sat down beside me, and asked-“

“Do you think you’re having a boy or girl?” Toni finished the sentence for her.

“And to say I was freaked out was an understatement, cause I had never met this girl with the purple streak in her hair in my life. Not to mention I wasn’t even showing yet,” Alice chuckled, “I learned later on that she just overheard a conversation about me in the administrator’s office, but she tried to play it off like she was some kind of psychic.”

Toni laughed. She didn’t remember much about her mom, since she was only three when she passed away, but from almost every story she heard about her, she knew for a fact that her mom was a jokester.

“I came here with nothing. I felt like I had no one. But your mom, kind soul that she was, knew that I needed a friend. And after just a hour lunch period with her, I felt like I had known her all my life. She introduced me to her friends and her boyfriend, and I felt like I belonged here. Even in Connecticut, I didn’t get along with anybody as well as I got along with your mom and her little gang of misfits.”

The younger girl smiled solemnly as she tried to keep her tears at bay, relishing the comfort that Alice’s words brought her.

“Anyway, the point I’m trying to make is, you don’t have to know what you’re doing. But you’re your mother’s daughter. Even though you don’t wanna admit it, I know you have her same caring, protective nature she did,” Alice rested a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently, “So...just use it. Just make Cheryl feel as comfortable and included as you can and everything else will fall into place. And trust me when I say that being there for her is enough.”

Toni was wrapped in the warm embrace of her mother figure before she could even let the first of her tears fall. She was terrible at showing her emotions, especially to people who knew her well. But she squeezed Alice back extra tight to let her know how much she appreciated the advice. 

“I love you, kid. Don’t forget that. And don’t let that girl be a stranger around town, okay? She’s gonna need more friends than just you and my daughter,” the older woman kissed the top of her head before releasing her from the hug, wiping the tears from her tanned cheeks.

“Yeah. You’re right. I should probably get back to her before she starts to worry,” Toni let out a watery laugh, wiping the last of the tears from her eyes. 

“Bring her around sometime, I’d love to meet her.”

“I will. Thanks, Alice,” she gave the woman a grateful smile before turning on her heel to head back home. 

In her car, she took a deep breath, gripping tight to the steering wheel as she sat in the office parking lot. Alice was right. There wasn’t much she could do besides just be there for her girl and make her feel loved and welcome. And introducing her to more people wasn’t a bad idea either. 

Wiping her eyes one last time, she put the car in drive and took off down the street. Though, she took the long way home, slowing down as she passed by the docks. As much as she wanted to go search for the mysterious man again, she wanted to get home to Cheryl even more.

**xxx**

“Babe, I’m h-” she cut off her own call into the apartment when she opened the door. She wasn’t given much time to be worried or confused about the fact that the living room was empty. The sound of melodic, gentle singing coming from the open bedroom door caught her attention quickly, causing her to follow the hypnotic sound. She’d heard about sirens and their luring sounds, but apparently Toni was transfixed by her girlfriend’s singing, mermaid or not.

“Cher?” she called quietly into the room, hearing the sound continue to flow from the open bathroom door. She knocked gently on the wood, not wanting to startle the redhead who was sitting on the edge of the bathtub with her dainty feet swirling in about a half inch of water. When the quiet melody stopped, she stepped farther into the room, coming up beside Cheryl to sit beside her on the edge of the tub, facing the opposite direction. “What are you doing?”

Cheryl bit her lip as she raised her eyes to meet Toni’s, shiny brown like she’d been crying. “Nothing, Toni. I was just...trying the necklace again,” she answered honestly as Toni cast her gaze down to the scallop shell hanging from her neck. Her slim, pale fingers fiddled with the shell carefully as she reached for the drain plug, sending the water down the pipes as Toni took a deep breath. 

“Babe, I don’t-“

“I was just trying it, Toni. I was curious,” Cheryl cut her off with a bit of a fake smile, turning around so her feet were outside the bathtub and on the mat with Toni’s. 

The pinkette just nodded, deciding not to push it. She didn’t want Cheryl dwelling on the necklace, wondering every day how she could get it to work. But she realized that just like herself, she just wanted answers. Why was she given a useless pendant by someone who claimed to be so powerful?

“Okay. Were you okay on your own?” she asked, changing the subject as Cheryl dried off the tops of her feet with a towel. 

“I was okay. I made a necklace for Betty. It has light blue crystals and pearls. Even though real pearls are much prettier.”

“I’m sure she’ll love it,” Toni smiled, biting the inside of her cheek as an awkward silence filled the room. “You wanna go with me to get the mail? Maybe go for a walk and get some fresh air?”

That seemed to perk Cheryl up a little bit. The redhead nodded and stood up, immediately going to put her shoes and jacket on. Maybe a little sunshine would do her some good too. There was only so much sunlight that came through the windows of the apartment, and it was too cold to keep the windows open. 

“You wanna use your key?” Toni took it off the hook by the door, handing the cherry keychain to her with a hopeful smile. And thankfully, she nodded with a toothy grin before they walked out the door, pocketing the key and taking Toni’s hand.

“So Alice wants to meet you. Y’know, Betty’s mom,” she swung their arms gently between them, making Cheryl giggle quietly, “I was thinking we could go over to F.P.’s for dinner Friday night so you can meet her?”

“I would like to meet her,” Cheryl nodded, “She is very nice to you.”

“She’s tough on me sometimes,” she shrugged, chuckling as they walked down the steps to the first floor and made their way outside. Walking slowly towards the mailbox across the street. “She said I could bring you with me to the office sometime, but I figured you might be more comfortable if we had dinner with the family.”

“Family?” 

“Yeah, they’re all family. It’s not really a mom, dad, and siblings kind of family, but they’re what I’ve got. They’re yours now too...I mean, if you want them to be.”

“Am I your family?” Cheryl asked, gazing down at her shoes as they walked.

“Yeah, of course. Your family are people who make you feel loved and at home, no matter who they are. I think everyone has their blood family: the people they’re related to, and their found family. So you, Betty, Jughead, and Alice are my found family.”

“What about your uncle? Is he not your family?”

Toni hesitated as she thought of an answer to that. “My relationship with F.P. is kinda...I don’t know, it’s not ideal. He didn’t really make me feel safe or loved when I was a teenager. And now, he’s changing and trying to be better, but it’s not so easy for me to forgive him for the things he’s said and done. I know that’s confusing.”

“If my parents told me that they were sorry for what they did and tried to be better, I would not be able to forgive them and call them my family very easily,” Cheryl looked over at Toni with understanding in her eyes while Toni looked back at her with a bit of shock in her own. 

“Uh...yeah. Exactly,” her brows raised to her hairline when Cheryl understood exactly what she was talking about and applied it to her own situation. Her girl was learning.

“Look, Toni!” Cheryl pointed out a few yards ahead of them towards the mailbox where a young couple, maybe a few years older than them was standing with a stroller and a rambunctious little corgi puppy on a leash. And before Toni could even react, Cheryl was on the ground in front of the puppy, scratching behind its ears and talking to it.

“Cheryl!” she ran the few feet to catch up with her girlfriend, stopping in front of the couple, “I’m so sorry. Cheryl, you have to ask fir-“

“No, it’s okay. We just got him, so we’re trying to get him socialized. The more the merrier,” the woman waved a hand with a kind smile. 

“Does he have a name? Like Jasper?” Cheryl looked up at them with the widest smile Toni had seen in a while, rubbing the puppy’s belly when he happily rolled over onto the grass. 

“His name’s Yoda,” the woman with tan skin and long braids rolled her eyes with a chuckle.

“ _Baby_ Yoda,” the man beside her with bright red hair added, making Toni laugh as she watched Cheryl become instant best friends with the little puppy. 

“Right, _Baby_ Yoda. I’m Valerie, and this is Archie,” the woman introduced themselves before gesturing down the the wide-eyed, three year old girl in the stroller, “And this is Alex. She just turned three last month.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Toni, this is my girlfriend Cheryl,” she gestured to the redhead on the ground, “Did you just move in recently? We haven’t been here long, but I haven’t seen you around.”

“We did, earlier this week, actually,” Valerie nodded, watching as Cheryl scooped up the puppy and started interacting with the toddler in the stroller, “We’re actually from Vermont, but Archie got a job opportunity here in Riverdale that he couldn’t turn down, so here we are.”

“Well, welcome to Riverdale,” the pinkette smiled kindly, “Where are you gonna be working?”

“It’s a book keeping job for a company called Serpentine,” Archie explained with an upward inflection, questioning if Toni knew anything about it.

She raised her eyebrows a bit, surprised to hear that F.P. had hired someone to keep track of the finances within the company. Then again, she wasn’t as involved in it as she probably should have been. “Oh, that’s my uncle’s company. It’s been in my family for generations.”

“Small world,” Valerie commented, nudging Archie’s ribs playfully, “Guess that makes her your boss.”

“Oh god no, not at all. I’m not involved in the company. Part of it’s in my name from my dad, but I don’t work under the company,” Toni chuckled, “But even if I were, you’ve made a great first impression.”

“What is your name?” they heard Cheryl ask from below them, slowly shaking the toddler’s small hand.

“Alex,” she responded with a heavy lisp through her teeth, giggling as Cheryl shook her hand. 

“We have a friend named Alex. Actually, her name is Alexa, but we cannot see her,” the redhead told her matter-of-factly.

“Her full name is Alexandria,” Archie commented with a smile.

“That is a very long name,” Cheryl smiled up at him before turning her attention back to the puppy in her arms, laughing as she let him lick around her face. 

“Looks like she’s great with puppies. And kids,” Valerie looked at Toni, chuckling a little. 

The pinkette agreed, laughing as well, “She’s friendly, that’s for sure.”

“I’ve been looking around for a full-time job so we might actually need someone to take care of the puppy during the day sometime soon if she’d be interested. We wouldn’t be able to pay her too much, though.”

“That would be great, actually,” Toni looked down at her girlfriend who was happily chatting with the child before lowering her voice to speak to the couple in front of her, “She can’t really work, so we’ve been looking for something to keep her busy during the day, so that would actually be perfect for her.”

The couple exchanged phone numbers with Toni after they announced that they needed to head back in for Alex’s nap. Much to Cheryl’s disappointment, that meant having to say goodbye to her new friends, but Toni assured her that she would see them again soon. The little family lived just one floor below them and a few doors over.

“They were nice, huh?” Toni took Cheryl’s hand again as they kept walking down the sidewalk.

“Yes they were nice. We should get a puppy and a baby too,” Cheryl smiled, blissfully unaware of Toni choking on her own tongue beside her. 

“We’ll see, babe,” she chuckled as she regained her composure, “One step at a time.”

****

xxx

****

**  
**

Pulling up to the Jones residence on Friday night, Toni took a deep breath to try to settle her stomach. She didn’t know why she was so nervous. Cheryl had met everyone but Alice before. And it’s not like she was worried about Alice’s impression of her. Cheryl got on everyone’s good side very easily. Effortlessly, even. But for some reason, she couldn’t shake the nervous feeling she had.

“Don’t sit out there all night, we’ve got dinner cooking!” F.P. called to them after stepping out onto the front porch, waving them in.

Toni just snorted a bit of a laugh and turned off the car, allowing herself and Cheryl to get out. At least her girlfriend didn’t seem nervous about any of this. Then again, Cheryl didn’t really understand the typical stress that came with meeting new people. She wasn’t shy, and she somehow managed to worm her way into even the coldest hearts. The only people Toni knew of that didn’t like Cheryl upon first meeting her were Veronica and the cab driver who took her across the city when she first arrived.

Looping around the car, Toni gave the redhead a reassuring kiss (more for herself than anything) and laced their fingers together as they walked up the porch steps and into the house. The smell of herbs, spices, and tomato sauce made Toni’s stomach immediately start to growl with hunger.

“Cheryl, I hope you like spaghetti,” F.P. took their coats politely and hung them on the rack by the door.

“I like it when Toni does not burn it,” she nodded, making the man laugh. Though, she didn’t understand what was so funny.

“Yeah, she was never a great cook. When she worked at Pop’s as a teenager, she wasn’t allowed to touch the grill or the fryers after almost setting the place on fire,” he laughed and pat Toni on the back, watching his niece roll her eyes. 

“I never claimed to be a good cook, that’s what take-out is for,” she defended herself.

“But we are learning together,” Cheryl squeezed her hand with a proud smile in F.P.’s direction.

“Is that her?” Alice came out from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dish towel. And the moment the blonde woman pulled Cheryl in for a hug, Toni forgot all about why she was nervous in the first place. She should have known that Alice would be just as welcoming as everyone else had been. She was the one who, just the other day, told her to make sure Cheryl felt comfortable and at home in Riverdale. 

“Cheryl, it’s nice to _finally_ meet you, everyone’s told me so much about you,” Alice kissed the girl’s flushed cheek and hugged her again, “I’m Alice, Betty’s mom.”

“Hi, Cheryl,” Betty waved from behind her mother at the mention of her name. 

The redhead looked at Toni with a grin that practically sparkled under the foyer lamp. Maybe this was exactly what Cheryl needed, to feel like she was part of a family. 

“It is nice to meet you,” she blushed, pulling her lip between her teeth, “Thank you for letting Toni work from home.”

“Oh, honey, whatever you need. I’m just glad to hear you’ve been feeling a little better than you have been lately,” the woman ran her hand through Cheryl’s hair affectionately before hugging her again and returning to the kitchen, “Dinner will be ready soon.”

Toni smiled as Betty and Jughead came over to hug Cheryl as well. They knew how down she had been feeling lately, but as far as they knew it was just homesickness. So Toni appreciated that everyone tried a little harder to make her feel like family. 

Dinner went smoothly. Any questions geared toward Cheryl were strictly about her life in Riverdale, as per Toni’s secret previous request. She didn’t want Cheryl feeling put on the spot about any questions about where she came from. She knew the redhead didn’t like having to lie either. 

After dinner was Toni’s favorite tradition at the Jones house. Everyone involved had to pick a movie off the DVD shelf and F.P. had managed to turn deciding what they watched into a fun game of hide and seek. Toni remembered that F.P. would always count to thirty while everyone else hid their movie somewhere in the living room. And when her uncle went searching, the last movie found was the one they watched. Toni had learned after a few years that Jughead would hide his movies badly on purpose so Toni’s choice would get picked every now and then. Before the knew the truth, that game was the only time she remembered thinking that she was more clever than he was.

As Toni expected, Cheryl loved the game. And everyone else was nice enough to hide their movie choices poorly so the redhead would win. F.P. put the ‘When Harry Met Sally’ DVD into the player while the others got situated with bowls of popcorn in their laps, Toni and Cheryl sharing one bowl as the cuddled up together in the recliner. 

If she wasn’t sure of it before, Toni was sure of it now that this was exactly what they needed. Both of them. Cheryl was banished from her own family while the only blood family Toni had left had died. And they both needed to feel that sense of belonging again. 

She felt her cheeks flush as Cheryl pressed a content kiss to the side of her neck, followed by a happy sigh as they watched the movie. Things were finally starting to feel like they would get better and easier for both of them. 

And after ninety minutes of laughter and a few tears, the family of six had divided up amongst themselves. Alice was showing Cheryl old photo albums that Violet had made of Toni as a baby, Jughead and F.P. were sitting on the couch debating which Star Wars generation was superior, and Toni was in the kitchen with Betty talking about just about anything they could think of. 

“Did you like it?” Betty grinned, eager to know what Toni had thought about the book she had loaned her a few weeks ago.

“It was pretty good! I’m not usually into that genre, but it was actually really interesting,” Toni nodded, sipping at the tea she had made herself, “I actually have it in the car, hang on, I can give it back to you.”

She got up from her seat at the table and went to the foyer, searching for her car keys. She looked through her jacket pockets, only finding her chapstick and an old receipt. With furrowed brows, she searched the pockets of Cheryl’s jacket as well, but was only able to find the small scallop shell necklace that had caused her girl so much heartache lately. Not only did it turn out to be a fluke, but Cheryl was continuously checking to see if it wasn’t, ending in bitter disappointment every time. 

Clutching the necklace in her fist, she put it in her own jacket pocket before slipping the garment on and finding her keys in her purse. 

“You okay? You look kinda pissed,” Betty asked quietly when Toni came back in from the driveway, handing her the hardcover book.

“Yeah, I’m okay. I’ll, um...I’ll be right back, though,” she bit her lip, looking into the living room at Cheryl who was giggling at the photos she was being shown. Keeping her jacket on, she slipped out the back door, marched down the steps and ran towards the water that was gently lapping at the shore. And when she reached the edge of the ocean, she threw the necklace from her pocket as far as she could, letting it sink and wash away with the tide.

“She’s finally getting happier, no thanks to you,” she muttered, addressing the man she had been searching for for the past week. The last time she was standing in her current spot, she was doing the same thing, speaking out into thin air in a desperate attempt to make contact with someone who she wasn’t sure could hear her. According to Cheryl, when she was trapped in the ocean by her parents just hours before her return to land, she could feel Toni’s call for her. She didn’t know how, but Toni had managed to connect with her. And now she hoped that the undersea wizard was could sense her anger and how bitterly she felt towards him for what he did. 

“She’s learning to move on. She has friends and a family here. Dwelling on the past is just going to make things harder for her,” she spoke out again, wrapping her arms around herself as the cool breeze brushed her face. 

“Toni?” Cheryl’s voice rang over the sound of gently crashing waves, causing Toni to turn around just in time to see her walking down the beach towards her. “Everyone is leaving. Why are you out here all alone?”

The older girl searched her eyes, hating that she was having an internal debate on whether to tell her the truth or not. But as much as she didn’t want to upset her, she just couldn’t lie to her. “Cher, I found the necklace in your coat pocket...” she muttered, reaching for her girlfriend’s cold hands as Cheryl’s eyebrows knit together, “Why did you bring it with you?”

Averting her eyes, Cheryl took her hands from Toni’s and put them in her pockets, finding that the necklace in question was gone. “Where is it?”

“Babe, what does it matter? It didn’t do anything. And I hate seeing you get your hopes up about it. You think I don’t see you put it on before you take a bath? Cheryl, it’s not...it’s not okay for you to keep getting your hopes up about it. And I hate seeing how upset you get every time you realize it’s not going to work,” Toni reached for her hands again, but to her surprise, this time Cheryl pulled away.

“Where is it, Toni?”

“I...I-I threw it into the ocean, but-“

“Why? That was my necklace! It was from my friend, why would you throw it back?” Cheryl’s voice raised as she got more and more upset.

To say that an outburst from her was unexpected was an understatement. Cheryl never got verbal and loud when she was upset, so Toni had no idea how to react, or even what to say.

“Cher, I’m sorry, but I didn’t want you to keep dwelling on it. Babe, I get that you miss your home, but-“ The redhead cut her off by walking away, her hair blowing in the breeze behind her as she stomped back up the beach to the deck. “Cheryl, wait!” Toni ran after her as best she could, following her into the house where she brushed past everyone, despite their questions and looks of concern for her. And by the time Toni had made it in through the back door, Cheryl had left out the front. 

“What happened?” Alice asked incredulously, glancing between Toni and the front door.

“Nothing, it was just a misunderstanding,” Toni shook her head, heading for the door, “Thank you for dinner, I’ll see you all soon.” Grabbing her purse, she left out the front door, relieved to see Cheryl leaning against the passenger side door of the car. Knowing the redhead, Toni expected her to be halfway down the street on foot by now.

Without a word, she unlocked the car, letting herself in as Cheryl did the same. And once the engine started, there was nothing but soft rock from the radio between them. And despite her good intentions, Toni quickly realized how much she had fucked up.


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy sunday, I have the flu so editing and all that is hard for me right now but I promise I tried. 
> 
> Also I don’t know shit about boats. Enjoy!

Aside from the soft rock classics from the speakers, the ride home was silent. Every time Toni peered out the corner of her eye, Cheryl had her arms folded against her chest with her jaw clenched tightly and distress written across her face. And to make matters worse, Toni caught sight of her brushing tears from her cheeks every few moments. And she hated knowing that this time, it was all her fault. She had only been trying to help Cheryl move on, it wasn’t like she did it to hurt her. 

Pulling up to the apartment, Cheryl didn’t bother to wait for her. Toni wasn’t that far behind, but she was left trailing a few paces after her into the building and up the stairs to their door. Sifting through her array of keys, Toni tried not to let the awkward silence between them intimidate her as she unlocked the door, letting Cheryl in first before she followed, locking the door behind her.

“So are you just not gonna talk to me for the rest of the night?” she sighed, slipping her jacket off while the redhead did the same. 

“Why would you do that, Toni?” Cheryl’s voice sent a chill down her spine. It was a voice she had never heard from her before. She’d seen Cheryl through some dark times, but she had never seen her angry like she was now.

“Cheryl...I’m sorry,” Toni offered, not sure of what else to say, “I found it in your pocket, I wasn’t thinking. I just...that necklace has caused you so much stress lately. Like I told you before, I’m so sick of seeing how upset you get every time you try to get it to work. I was just trying to help you move on.”

“But it was _mine_! You did not even ask me!” the redhead raised her voice as her eyes filled with angry tears.

The older girl was shocked at the outburst, but couldn’t help but match her volume, “Well, Cheryl, you wouldn’t have just let me do it! You were so attached to it, clinging to hope that it would work! If I hadn’t done it, who knows how long you would have kept trying!”

“I do not know but it was all I had! I do not have anything to remind me of my old home and my friends! Your parents are no longer here, but you still have photos, and your locket, and people to tell you stories about them! I do not have that here! The necklace was all I had!”

Toni’s heart sunk in her chest as she realized what the necklace actually was the Cheryl. She may have been holding onto false hope that it would magically bring back her tail, but it was also the only thing she had to remind her of her life in the ocean. And now she had nothing but the memories in her head. 

Cheryl took a deep breath and rubbed her tear-stung eyes as she lowered her voice to continue, “I know you want me to move on from that life, Toni. I am trying very hard, but I cannot just forget about it so easily. I wish I could, but I cannot. And I am...angry at you for taking my necklace away,” she struggled to get the last part out.

Toni knew Cheryl was mad at her, but hearing her confirm it and say it out loud made her feel ten times worse. She wished she could go back in time and stop herself from tossing the necklace into the water. Actually, she wished that she could go back and stop Cheryl from going back to the ocean in the first place. She would do anything to avoid this situation that had Cheryl staring at her the way she was. Toni couldn’t handle it.

“Cheryl, I’m so, _so_ sor-“

Before she could even finish her sentence, the redhead turned and started walking away as a fresh batch of tears started to fall from her eyes, stopping at their bedroom door. “I know you are sorry, Toni. But I am still angry. And I think...I just want to be alone right now.”

Toni watched through bleary eyes as Cheryl closed herself into the bedroom. As much as she tried to remind herself that arguments and disagreements were normal and healthy in a relationship, she couldn’t shake the feeling that Cheryl would never forgive her for this. She literally threw away the only connection her girlfriend had with her old life, and her friend that meant a lot to her. She forced her to move on at a pace that she just wasn’t ready for. Good intentions or not, she didn’t feel like she even deserved her forgiveness for it at all. She and F.P. had a rough relationship when she was growing up, but if he had thrown away everything she had that connected her with her parents, leaving her with nothing but the limited memories a six year old could hold, she would never forgive him for it. 

Biting her lip, she reached up for the heart shaped gemstone that lay against her collarbone. It was the most minimal and simple necklace Cheryl had ever made, and yet it held the most meaning behind it. Their relationship was complicated and confusing, but the love between them seemed like the simplest thing in the world. It didn’t need explaining or elaboration, it was just there and that was all that mattered. 

Squeezing the pale pink stone, Toni willed herself to leave Cheryl alone. She wanted space and would come talk to her when she was ready. The last thing Toni wanted was to force herself on her and make things worse. 

With a sigh, she kicked off her shoes and sat on the couch, smiling solemnly at the beads and jewelry that littered the coffee table. If she knew how to make a magical necklace that would give her girlfriend _anything_ that would give her happiness, whether it be a tail or a million dollars, she would do it in a heartbeat. 

She laid back against the couch cushions and turned on the TV at a low volume, trying to distract herself while she waited, hoping that Cheryl would come out and talk to her.

**xxx**

Blinking her eyes open, Toni glanced around through her blurred vision. It was still dark outside and the lights in the living room were still on as an episode of The Nanny played on the TV. She sat up from where she had supposedly fallen asleep on the couch, wiping the drool from the side of her mouth before checking the time on her phone. It was just after four in the morning.

Toni groaned as she remembered the events of the previous night, just a few hours ago, mentally kicking herself for being so stupid. She’d done a lot of stupid things in the past, but this was just about a new low for her. 

Getting up slowly, she stretched her back out and quietly made her way to the bedroom door, opening it slowly. Cheryl was fast asleep and Toni wanted nothing more than to climb into bed and curl up with her, kiss her and tell her how sorry she was. But something in her was tugging at her heart, telling her that she had to do something else. And as much as it pained her to close the door and leave her sleeping girlfriend to rest, she did just that before glancing around the living room, wondering what she was feeling. It was like a tug in her chest. Not painful, but it made her feel restless and jittery. Like there was just something she had to do.

“What the hell,” she whispered as her heartbeat sped up, her hands trembling. And her jelly filled legs took her towards the door where she slipped on her sneakers and jacket, grabbing her keys and leaving the apartment before she could even think about where she was going. She didn’t feel like herself. She felt out of control like someone else had taken the reins to control her every move. But she didn’t resist. She couldn’t even if she tried. 

Getting in her car, she started up the engine, not even waiting for the heat to kick in before taking off down the road, trying to count the streetlights over her head to calm herself down. But when she realized that her aimless drive wasn’t as aimless as she thought, the streetlights were the last thing on her mind. And when she pulled into a parking spot, gazing across the street at the endless rows off lowered sails, ropes, and other rigs on the docks, that emotional tug she had been feeling was gone, replaced with confusion and apprehension. 

She sighed and shook her head as she got out of the car. If the mysterious man was there waiting for her, she had plenty to say to him. With her hands in her pockets, she crossed the street and stepped onto the wooden dock, looking around the dimly lit area for him. “Okay, you got me out here in the middle of the night. Now what?” she huffed, glancing around. But she was alone, once again left standing on her own in the night, talking to nothing. Her step creaked under her feet as she walked down the dock towards her dad’s boat, bracing herself for the man to appear around any corner. But he was nowhere around. And by the time she reached Violet, her heart began to feel heavy with hopelessness once again. 

She glanced up at the poles, smiling a little when she spotted the little pink flag that her dad had rigged up at the top, just barely waving in the slight breeze. While the flags were worn and faded, the rest of the boat seemed to be in good shape. F.P. stayed true to his word in taking care of it, not that she could say the same. 

Biting her lip, she grabbed a hold of the first bar of the ladder, pulling herself up the cold metal steps and onto the deck. The last time she was up here, she, Jughead, and her uncle were sailing back to shore without her father, soaking wet from the storm and the salty sea water. As much as Toni tried to block that day out, she remembered every little detail. She remembered how tight her life jacket felt against her chest, she remembered the taste of the water in her mouth and the feeling of it stinging her eyes when she opened them while she was trapped beneath the surface. And she could never forget the smile on the little redheaded mermaid’s face when she approached her and pulled her to safety. And it was crazy to think that she grew up to fall in love with that same mermaid who saved her life. 

Walking around the deck, she ran her hand over the rail she had slipped and fallen over, biting her lip at the memory of her father yelling her name as he jumped over to save her just before she went under. She could still hear it clear as day as if it were happening all over again. 

She made her way towards the bow, running her hand over the smooth steering wheel. Her father always let her help steer. He taught her everything. At the age of six, she knew everything she needed to know about sailing. Even now, despite the lifetime she had between now and then, she could probably get this boat sailing with her eyes closed. 

“Is this what you want?” she looked up into the open air and held her hands out by her sides in question. And as if she was told ‘yes’ she closed her eyes and took a reassuring breath. Was she really about to do this? She hadn’t even been more than a foot from the shore since that fateful day and now she was about to take her dad’s boat out on the water in the middle of the night, alone, with nothing but the moonlight to guide her? 

Her hands and legs did the thinking for her as she climbed down to untie the vessel from the dock, copying exactly what her father would do to get it moving. And with the help of the ocean breeze, Toni Topaz was sailing for the first time in thirteen years. With her clammy hands gripping the steering wheel, it wasn’t until she looked behind her, seeing the dock a little ways away that she realized exactly what she was doing. 

“Oh, fuck,” she muttered with eyes wide with fear, wondering if she’d truly lost her mind. She could get killed out here. She could get lost. She could crash. But when the strengthening breeze brushed the metal clips against the poles, she quickly put up the mainsail anyways. As nervous as she felt, there was something in her that told her that she would be fine. She knew this, she was born into this. She could do it. 

Breathing deeply, she steered straight ahead, not knowing how far out she was going or when she would stop. But the farther from shore she got, she easier it became. She wasn’t as strong as her dad. Steering was a little difficult, but headed straight out towards the horizon, there wasn’t too much of a need for steering. Toni wasn’t religious or even spiritual, but she could tell that her dad was with her, making sure everything went as smoothly as it could for her. And he was proud of her, she could just feel it. It was slow sailing, but steady. She tried not to look back, knowing that if she knew how far out she’d gone, it would only psych her out. So she kept her eyes on the waterline, following the moon as it lit her path. Though, she had no idea where that path lead.

She kept on going until she could see the muted shade of orange starting to peak out from the horizon. Flicking her tongue over her dry lip, she looked behind her, barely able to see the docks anymore. Just the trees and a few larger buildings. She had never felt smaller than she did now, far out onto the ocean, alone.

Letting go of the steering wheel, she reeled out the anchor, dropping it enough to keep the vessel in place while she caught her breath, realizing just what she had done. Part of her wanted to scream in fear and curl up in a ball while the other part wanted to jump for joy and pat herself on the back that she had actually done this. After lowering the sails, she sat on the bench by the locked cabin door, running a hand through her hair in disbelief. This wasn’t some crazy dream, she was actually here. Her heart pounded like a drum against her ribs.

“I can’t believe I did this,” she muttered to herself, completely out of breath from the adrenaline. 

“But you did it,” a familiar, but unexpected voice made her jump nearly a foot in the air.

Following the sound, she peeked over the edge and into the water, met with the serious but friendly face of the very man she’d been looking for all week. And the second she laid eyes on him, reality set in. And she was pissed. But the more she thought about it, the less she wanted to give this guy the time of day. 

“You know what, I have nothing to say to you,” she shook her head and stood up on shaky legs, ready to turn the boat around and head back home. Just seeing him made her remember what he had done, leading to what _she_ had done. 

“Did you come out here looking for this?” he asked, catching her attention again as he held up the very necklace she had thrown into the water the night before. 

“How did you-“ she started, but shook her head again, remembering that this guy was some kind of wizard, “Never mind. Even if I had come out here looking for it, it didn’t work. I don’t know if you were trying to play some kind of trick on my girlfriend, your supposed _friend_ or what, but-“

She cut herself off again as she watching him begin to climb the ladder, a blue tail that was previous hidden beneath the slowly growing waves transforming into legs before her eyes. And somehow this guy’s transformation came with clothes. But she wasn’t about to question that, of all things. She’d seen Cheryl’s tail before, but she’d never seen the actual shift between legs and tail. What amazed her the most was it didn’t even look like magic. There were no twinkly lights or sound effects like in the movies. It was just a quick and simple fading of color and split from one appendage to two like it was nothing. And the way he walked towards her so nonchalantly made Toni think he had shifted back and forth more times than he could count. 

When he approached her, he nearly towered over her, reaching for the necklace around her neck, holding gently to the pale pink gemstone as he inspected it. But she stepped back, snatching the pendant from his grip and holding it in her own protectively, looking at him like he’d lost his mind. “What the hell are you doing?”

“That’s not the locket. Where’s the locket?” he asked in a serious tone.

Toni just gaped at him and glanced around as if there were a crowd around her about to witness a fight, “It’s at home. I-I don’t wear it.”

“You don’t wear it? She held onto it for thirteen years and risked her life to give it back to you and you don’t wear it?” he raised a platinum blonde eyebrow at her as if she had offended his very being with what she had said.

“Listen, dude, you don’t know me. I appreciate her keeping it and bringing it back to me, but I can’t wear it, okay? It’s not mine. I’m not ready to feel...whatever feelings come with putting it on. It’s not just a random piece of jewelry I bought at Claire’s, it’s got meaning behind it,” she snapped. She was wary of him, but she wasn’t afraid. 

“I know what that locket means to you and your family,” he nodded, stepping towards her again, “And it means a lot to Cheryl too. That locket was what kept her hopeful all those years. She comes from a family of power. A family that wants to ban contact between our world and yours. But with that necklace, she was given a purpose and a reason for coming here. You were her reason. Giving you that locket back was her purpose.”

“And she gave it back. I have it. Why do I have to wear it?”

“Why don’t you want to?”

“I’m just not ready, okay?” she snapped at him, sick of him asking, “I’m just not ready. And I don’t think I ever will be.”

He glanced around the deck of the boat before looking back at her, gesturing around him, “You didn’t think you were ready for this either. And look where you are.”

Toni followed his hand movements, looking around the deck as a chill ran down her spine. She didn’t want to admit it, but he had a point. “Sailing is different. I wasn’t ready for this because I was afraid of what could happen to me. With the locket I’m...afraid of what I might feel.”

“What do you think it’ll make you feel?” he asked, sitting down on the bench and gesturing for her to sit beside him.

“I dunno. Grief? Sadness?”

“You’ve felt those things before. And you know that eventually those feelings pass. Just like fear. Are you still afraid to sail?”

“I mean kinda. This was just some crazy, heat of the moment decision. I didn’t even feel like I was in control of my own actions,” she shrugged, sitting down beside him after a few moments of hesitation. Oddly enough, it felt good to talk to a stranger about her feelings. 

“I’ll admit I did a little coaxing to get you to the dock. But deciding to sail and getting out on the sea was all you,” he smiled a little at her, “You had to want to do it, and believe that you could. And you did.”

Toni’s cheeks flushed a bit as he reminded her of what she already knew. She had to admit she was pretty proud of herself.

“You did it for yourself, but you also did it for her. I’m sure you wanted answers to why the necklace didn’t work for her like I said it would. I think something in you knew that you’d find the answers out here,” he raised a hand, gesturing to the open ocean around them.

“Maybe. Are you planning on giving me the answers?” she turned to him with a quirked eyebrow, “I mean, I came all the way out here. I can’t go back empty handed.”

With a chuckle, he placed the scallop shell necklace in her palm, closing her fingers around it for her. “Take this back to her. It will only work if you’re wearing the locket at the same time. I created the counter spell for her, but it will only work when paired with the magic from the locket,” she explained gently, making Toni knit her brows together in confusion.

“But the locket doesn’t work for her either.”

“The locket isn’t hers. The magic in it now is meant for you.”

“So like, I’ll get a tail too? Cause I don’t think I’m ready for that either,” she snorted, trying to make light of the conversation, looking down at the necklace in her hand.

He chuckled and shook his head, “Not quite. But while it will give Cheryl her tail back and reverse the curse her parents placed on her, I think you’ll find that the grief and sadness aren’t as scary as you may have thought.”

Toni’s jaw slacked a bit as she attempted to respond. But she was once again rendered briefly speechless. “Why didn’t you tell me that before?”

“Silly me assumed you would be wearing the locket,” he shrugged.

Toni couldn’t even find it in her to be mad. Because even if she had to see Cheryl through heartbreak and lost hope countless times this week, she had shown so many signs of growth in such a short amount of time. And she was starting to understand the complexity of human emotion. Something that may have taken longer if things had gone her way originally. 

“Can I ask you something?” she waited until he just nodded in response, distracted by the bright light of the slowly rising sun, “As far as I know, Cheryl wants to stay here. Unless what I did changes that. But if she doesn’t...is she gonna be okay? I mean, she was banished and you said her parents cursed her. If she goes back home, is she gonna be safe?”

He sighed deeply and flicked his tongue out over his thin lips, “She won’t want to go back. Not for good. I can assure you of that. But if she decides to come visit, she will be protected. The prince and duchess are already under legal punishment by order of the queen for what they did to her. Magic used without the queen’s permission is forbidden where we come from,” he nodded.

“Wait...her parents are...and that makes her a-“

“A princess, yes.”

“Oh, come on. You’ve gotta be fucking kidding,” Toni placed her head in her hands as she laughed incredulously, “Not just a mermaid, but a mermaid _princess_?”

“She is royal by blood. Her grandmother, the queen, is a very good friend of mine. But by choosing to remain on land, Cheryl’s chosen to give up her claim to the throne. She was meant to be our queen whenever the time came for her to take over.”

“You’re kidding,” she gaped at him.

“Not even a little bit. I’m surprised she didn’t tell you.”

“Why would she give all that up?”

“I think you know the answer to that,” he quirked an eyebrow at her knowingly, “You may not believe it yourself, but you’ve been very good to her. She told me when she came back a while ago. She’s wanted to meet you her whole life, you know.”

“She told me she’s loved me her whole life,” Toni breathed a gentle laugh through her nose, trying to play it off as if it were a ludicrous thing to say. 

The man beside her nodded, and rubbed his palms together as the waves gently rocked them back and forth, “She may not have known the extent of what love is, or how complex it can be, but I believe that to be true.”

“I feel bad for doubting her about it before,” Toni shrugged, slumping her shoulders as she leaned her elbows onto her knees, “I didn’t realize how much she really risked to come find me.”

“Not just to find you, but to stay with you. You have to understand that her parents tried everything in their power to stop her from coming on land. She risked everything. _Everything_ to find you and give you that locket. Because she thought that it was important to you.”

“It is.”

“Then tell her that. Prove it to her. Let her know that her sacrifices meant something to you.”

“By wearing the locket,” the pink haired girl sighed, biting the inside of her cheek. As much as she wanted to avoid it, she knew now how much Cheryl had gone through to give it to her. And now, if this guy was telling the truth, wearing the locket was the only way to get Cheryl’s tail back. “What if it doesn’t work? I can’t let her be let down like that again.”

“It will work. But even if it didn’t, you know now what to do to help her through it.”

Nodding her head, Toni pursed her lips into a tight line as she watched the sun climb higher in the sky, warming her cold face. Her jaw slacked as she prepared to ask another question when her phone ringing in her pocket cut her off. Betty’s name and picture flashed across the screen, making her furrow her brows together in confusion. “Betty, what’s up?”

_”Hey, where are you? Cheryl called me all freaked out saying you were gone?”_ Betty’s confused voice came from the other end.

“I’m...out. I couldn’t sleep so I went for a drive,” Toni winced a little at her lie, not that it was a complete lie, “Why didn’t she try to call me?”

_“I asked her that, she said she thought that you wouldn’t want to talk to her after last night. What happened? Did you get in a fight or something?”_

Sighing Toni shook her head, even though her friend couldn’t see, “It’s...complicated. I’ll try to explain later.”

_“Okay. Well, she seemed pretty upset, so I’m on my way over to your apartment now to see if she’s all right.”_

“Thank you, Betts. I’ll be there maybe in an hour?”

_“Jeez, an hour? What did you do? Drive into the city?”_

“Not exactly, but I’ll see you when I get there. Take care of her for me, B.”

After thanking the blonde and hanging up, Toni pocketed her phone and stood up, making a beeline for the mainsail rope, prepping it to be raised after she turned the boat around. “I gotta get home, I never told Cheryl I was leaving, but I didn’t really expect to be out this long.”

“Of course, I should probably be heading back as well,” the bald man stood up and moved toward the edge of the deck.

Toni watched as he approached the edge, but stopped him with a desperate sounding, “Wait!” before he could go any farther. But when he turned around to face her, she wasn’t really sure what she wanted from him in the first place. “Sorry, um...will you...sail back with me? I guess? Maybe you can tell me a little more about Cheryl...and maybe my dad, if you know anything about him?” She ran her hand nervously along the gear that would pull the anchor up when she was ready. But her nerves melted a away when he smiled and stepped down from the ledge and made his way over to her, taking the gear in his hand instead.

“Go turn windward, and prepare to hoist the mainsail,” he instructed gently, starting to pull up the anchor. Though, Toni just stared at him, dumbstruck.

“You know about-“

“I’ve done my research,” he chuckled as he turned the gear with a bit of effort, sending Toni off towards the steering wheel. She turned it in the same direction from which the wind blew. And with the help of the wind and waves, they were turned around and facing the shore again. The man helped her tug the rope to raise and tighten the sail. The wind was stronger and the waves were bigger than they had been earlier in the morning, but the ride wouldn’t be long. Despite the cold, this is what her father would have called an “ideal sail”.

It didn’t take as long as she had thought. Maybe it was the wind, maybe it was her mysterious new friend making the boat go just a little faster. Whatever it was, they were docked in no time, tying the ropes tightly to the beams.

“Thank you for coming back with me. And...y’know, for everything else,” Toni wiped her hands on her jeans, making sure her keys and phone were still in her jacket pockets. 

“Of course,” he bowed his head politely.

She kicked her feet awkwardly against the rickety wood under them, glancing around as she thought of how to ask her next question without it sounding strange. “Do you wanna come see Cheryl? I mean, I’m sure she’d love to see you. And the whole thing about the necklace will probably sound better coming from you than me,” she chuckled, double checking that she had the necklace as well. 

“I’ll see her soon. I really should be heading back. Thank you for taking care of her Toni. Keep doing what you’re doing. Your parents would be very proud,” he smiled down at her, reaching over to take both her hands, squeezing them affectionately before turning and walking off. 

“Wait! Can I at least know what your name is? Something I can pronounce?” she called after him before he had the chance to disappear on her again. 

“You can call me Al.”

Toni stared at him for a moment, quirking an eyebrow, “Is that like, a Paul Simon reference or something?” 

“What can I say? It’s a great song,” he shrugged with a chuckle before starting to wake backwards away from her, “Go get your girl, Toni,” he grinned with a wave and turned the corner around the vessel. And by the lack of rhythmic creaking footsteps that followed, Toni knew he had disappeared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fuck it. Mermaid princess.


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy wednesday! This is the last chapter before the epilogue, i hope it doesn’t suck.

Betty checked her phone with a deep sigh, looking sympathetically at Cheryl who was sitting nervously beside her on the foot of her and Toni’s bed. “She should be here soon, Cheryl. She’s okay.”

“She is mad at me because I was mad at her,” the redhead shook her head, mumbling almost inaudibly, “She did not tell me she was leaving.”

Betty shrugged and rubbed her palms together, “I mean, she probably didn’t want to wake you up. Or...maybe she thought that you didn’t want to talk to her if she knew you were mad at her. But you know Toni wouldn’t just leave and not come back. No matter how big of a fight you get into, she wouldn’t do that to you.”

“That is what she did when she was mad at F.P.,” she looked at her sadly, “She left Riverdale and did not plan on coming back.”

The blonde’s shoulders slumped as she leaned back on her hands, trying to figure out how to ease Cheryl’s mind. “He knew she was leaving, though. She’d been wanting to leave this town for a while, and he knew that. And he...wasn’t very nice about it. Toni’s not the type to just up and leave without saying goodbye.”

Cheryl bit her lip and twiddled her thumbs nervously as she glanced at the clock. She didn’t know what time it was, all she knew was that Toni had been gone for much too long. “When I left, I did not say goodbye. I said I would come back, but I did not for a long time,” she whispered, wiping a tear from her eye at the memory, “She did not know where I was. And she waited and waited for me. And she got very sad.”

“Yeah, I remember,” Betty nodded with her bottom lip between her teeth, sitting back upright, “Why weren’t you able to contact her? To at least tell her that you were going to be longer than you thought? I mean...no offense, but she was heartbroken, Cheryl. I hadn’t seen her sad like that since her parents died.”

A lump formed in the younger girl’s throat at the mention of just how upset Toni had been while she was gone. She didn’t even like waiting for an hour for her, she couldn’t imagine waiting three weeks with no guarantee of her return. Toni had told her time and time again that it wasn’t her fault, and she knew that. She was being held captive with no communication with anyone but her own parents. But it still killed her inside to know how hurt Toni must have been, thinking that she would never return.

“I could not,” she squeezed her eyes shut as she tried not to cry any harder than she already was. But her chest was tight and her eyes stung, and she just couldn’t hold it in.

“Hey, it’s okay. I just...don’t understand, I guess. But I’m trying to,” Betty rubbed a hand along the back of her t-shirt, trying to comfort her as best she could.

“I do want you to be able to understand and to know that I did not mean to make Toni heartbroken,” she whimpered, looking at the blonde through tear filled brown eyes, “But...I do not know if I can tell you the truth.”

“Cheryl, you can trust me. Toni’s my best friend in the whole world, and you’re important to her, so you’re important to me too. That means I’d never betray your trust, okay? I promise,” Betty insisted, staring at her with a soft seriousness as Cheryl searched her eyes for any possible sign of dishonesty. She was right. If she betrayed Cheryl, she would be betraying Toni as well. But if Betty couldn’t handle the truth, she didn’t want this to come between them and ruin their lifelong friendship. 

“If you tell anyone...I could get into very big trouble. And I could not stay with Toni anymore. I do not want to put her in any danger,” the redhead turned to her, wiping her tears as she spoke seriously despite her trembling voice. 

“What did you go to jail or something?” Betty chuckled lightheartedly. But Cheryl just shook her head, unamused by her joke.

“I went back to where I am from to tell my family and friends that I was going to be staying here with Toni. And my mother and father...locked me away when I told them. They would rather I spend the rest of my life alone than live with her,” she took a deep breath as she tried to get closer to telling Betty the explicit truth. The blonde was patient and just nodded her head, encouraging her to continue. “Where I am from...girls like me should not be in love with girls like Toni. I don’t think people around here think Toni should be in love with me either.”

“I know there’s still a lot of closed minded people out there, but no one around Riverdale would have a problem with the fact that you’re both girls. Everyone here loves Toni,” Betty cut in, shaking her head, but Cheryl shook hers, looking down at her lap.

“It is not that. She is...human. And I am...I was not,” she shifted her eyes back to the confused blue ones in front of her, taking a deep breath once more, “I am from the ocean. I was a mermaid, but now I am human. When I told my parents that I was in love with Toni, they banished me from my home and took my tail.”

Betty’s jaw slacked as her forehead wrinkled in confusion, staring at Cheryl as if she had grown two heads. “I-“

“Cheryl? Betty?” Toni’s voice rang from the other room, followed by the sound of the front door closing.

“Um...let me go talk to her really quick and I’ll send her in here to talk to you, okay? Just give us a minute?” Betty stood up from the bed, watching Cheryl nod sadly before she left the room, closing the bedroom door behind her.

“Hey, where’s Cheryl, is she okay?” the pink haired girl shed her jacket and shoes quickly, starting to move in the direction of the bedroom. She almost made it past the blonde when she was stopped, grabbed gently by the arm and pulled back.

“Toni, hang on. There’s something you should know,” Betty spoke quietly, not wanting Cheryl to hear. She stared into Toni’s worried brown eyes and sucked in a deep breath, “I know Cheryl’s always been a little...strange, but...I think she’s officially losing it.”

“What do you mean? What’s wrong with her?” Toni’s voice was thick with worry as she tried to move past her again, but her grip on her arms tightened.

“Toni, she just told me that she’s a mermaid from the ocean. She came up with this whole story about her parents locking her up and taking her tail away...?”

Her eyebrows nearly got lost in her hairline at those words, “She told you all that?” 

“Yeah, like...she was dead serious. I don’t-“ she shook her head incredulously, but before she had a chance to react, Toni was out of her grip and letting herself into the bedroom.

The older girl ignored Betty’s hushed calls for her and opened the door, feeling a rush of emotions when she saw Cheryl sitting at the foot of the bed with her legs dangling off the edge. “God, Cher, I’m so sorry,” she breathed, not even hesitating to comfort her upset girlfriend. She hugged her tightly, covering every inch of her neck and shoulder in kisses as quivering arms hugged her back, “I’m sorry, baby, I didn’t mean to scare you and I’m sorry about last night and what I did. I love you, you know that, I’d never do anything to hurt you.”

Cheryl’s body practically vibrated in her arms with heavy sobs, hugging her back tightly as if she hadn’t seen her in days. “I am sorry too, Toni, I was not nice to you last night.”

“No, no, you had every right to be mad at me, I did a shitty thing,” she shook her head as a few tears streamed down her own tanned cheeks. She didn’t know which of the emotions she was feeling was the dominant one. She was happy to be back with her girl again. But she was sad to know that she was upset, and on top of all that, nerves racked her entire body at the knowledge that Betty now knew the truth. Even though she didn’t believe it.

“I love you, Toni, I do not want to fight again,” the redhead whimpered into her neck just before Toni pulled back to kiss her gently, running her hands through her copper hair affectionately.

“I love you too, baby, don’t worry about us fighting,” she shook her head. She didn’t have the heart to tell her that it would inevitably happen again. It was healthy to disagree and argue every now and then, but it was moving past it that mattered.

“I told Betty...about...who I am,” Cheryl pulled back a bit, whispering with fear in her eyes, “She promised that she would not tell anyone.”

“Hey, it’s okay. I know she won’t. I don’t think she really believes it just yet,” she whispered back, kissing her forehead reassuringly, “Can I bring her in here and we can talk about it with her?”

Cheryl hesitated with a face full of apprehension, but she nodded after a few beats, hugging Toni tightly around the neck as she pulled her to sit down beside her. 

“Hey, B, can you come in here?” Toni called out, her heart racing from the adrenaline. She bit her lip as she waited for her best friend to appear in the doorway, looking confused and skeptical. “What Cheryl told you...it’s true. All of it. I know it sounds crazy, but...yeah. She was telling the truth.”

Betty opened her mouth a few times to speak, but nothing came out as she found herself at a loss for what to say. 

“Betty, I know you do not believe me. Humans are told that mermaids do not exist and that they are a fairytale,” Cheryl chimed in, putting enough passion in her voice to prove herself, “But they are real. _I_ am real. But...I cannot prove it.”

Toni looked at her girlfriend with a solemn smile as she spoke, rubbing a comforting hand up and down her back. She knew this wasn’t easy for her, and if she didn’t trust Betty as much as she did, she would say that the situation was even scary. But a lightbulb went off in her head as Cheryl spoke her last words. “Yes you can,” she spoke quietly, her eyes widening with realization as both girls turned to face her. Cheryl looked curiously confused while Betty looked at her like she had quite possibly _also_ lost her mind. 

“Hang on,” she muttered before getting up, brushing past Betty as she ran back towards the door, grabbing the necklace Al had given back to her out of her jacket pocket. Examining it quickly, she smiled and brought it back to the bedroom where they continued to stare at her with confusion. “Babe, when I went out this morning, I drove to the docks. I don’t know what made me do it, but I got on my dad’s boat and I _sailed_. I sailed out like, two or three miles out into the ocean.”

“Wait, Toni, you were out sailing this morning?” Betty cut in with complete shock in her voice as well as on her face.”

“Yeah. When you called, I was out there,” the pink haired girl turned to her, nodding before turning back to her girlfriend, “But when I was out there...that guy...your friend showed up, and he gave this back to me.”

She held out her hand, opening her palm to show Cheryl the little scallop shell and silver chain. But the redhead’s face fell at the sight of it, shaking her head as she covered Toni’s fingers with her own to close the necklace back into her palm. 

“Toni, it does not work,” she muttered with a sad smile, “You were right, I should not keep trying. It only makes me upset.”

“No. Cheryl, listen to me. We didn’t do it right. I was supposed to be wearing the locket at the same time, he told me so,” Toni got up and moved across the room to her dresser, opening up the jewelry box on top and plucking out the gold chain and pendant that sat inside.

“Toni. I am done. It is pointless. I am human now, and we should just accept that,” Cheryl shook her head as her girlfriend returned to sit beside her. Meanwhile, Betty was watching the scene play out with furrowed brows.

“Babe, please just try it. Please. I know it’s not about your tail. It’s about the connection to where you’re from and your friends and family. Regardless of whether you’re fully human or a part-time mermaid, nothing’s going to change. Everything can still be just like has been. You can still make your jewelry and play with Yoda. We can still go to Pop’s and spend nights in watching the same movie over and over again. But you don’t have to do all that feeling like something’s missing.”

A tear fell from Cheryl’s eye as she stared back at Toni. The older girl seemed so sure and determined, but as much as she would love for it to work, she hated the risk of being let down again. “But...if it does not work-“

“If it doesn’t work, we’ll move past it like we’ve been trying to do these past few weeks. But it’ll work, baby. He promised me. And when it does, you can do whatever you want to do. You can go back to the ocean, you can stay here with me, you can do _anything_ ,” Toni breathed, reaching up to cup her cheek gently, “And it’ll be your choice. Not mine, not your parents’...yours.”

The former mermaid looked down at the necklace in Toni’s palm again, her heart thumping heavily in her chest as she picked up the dainty chain and examined it in her hands as if she’d never seen it before. “You will still love me no matter what?” she whispered nervously, gazing up at her girlfriend’s eyes again. They seemed so sure, so determined. 

“No matter what. It’s you and me, baby, we’re in this together now,” Toni nodded and ran her thumb delicately along the apple of her flushed cheek. Silence filled the room, only the sounds of breathing and hearts pounding could be heard between the three girls. Betty watched the scene play out between the two, both scared and oddly invested as if they were putting on a show right in front of her. She brought her fingers to her lips as Cheryl slowly clasped the necklace around her neck, biting her nails anxiously.

“Do you trust me?” the pink haired girl whispered, toying with the locket in her own hands. She bit down hard on her lip as she watched her girlfriend nod her head nervously, taking her hand and standing with her to lead her to the en suite.

“Uh, do you guys want me to leave, or...?” Betty piped up from the doorway, thumbing towards the main exit awkwardly.

Squeezing Cheryl’s hand gently in hers, Toni turned towards the redhead, quirking an eyebrow up in question. “Do you want Betty to stay?”

Cheryl took a deep breath as she looked between the two, pursing her lips tightly. “I want you to believe me,” she mumbled quietly to the blonde, reaching up with her free hand to fiddle nervously with the scallop shell resting against her collarbone. 

Toni waited for Betty’s reaction, smiling a bit at her nod of uncertainty before turning to lead Cheryl to the bathroom again. She dropped her hand reluctantly as she reached for the faucet knobs and plugged the drain. Behind her Cheryl was shedding her red flannel pajama pants with trembling hands, stepping out of them carefully as she was left in just Toni’s old grey and blue Riverdale High t-shirt.

“Toni,” her voice shook as she wrapped her arms around herself, sitting down on the toilet seat lid, unshed tears spilling over once again.

The older girl turned to her, stopping the water from the faucet before she turned to Betty. “B, can you give us a minute?”

“Yeah, of course,” the blonde nodded and stepped out of the doorway, closing it a bit behind her.

Sighing, Toni crouched in front of where Cheryl was sitting, not even having to touch her to know she was shaking. “What’s wrong? I thought this was what you wanted,” she frowned, reaching up to smooth hair away from her eyes.

“It is, but...I am scared. I do not want to be sad anymore. And if it does not work, I will be very sad,” she whispered, sniffling as thick tears rolled down her flushed cheeks and onto her bare legs. 

“I know,” Toni chewed at her bottom lip, “What’s been making you feel happy when you’re sad lately?”

Cheryl hiccuped a quiet sob and wiped at her eyes, “You. And Betty. And going to Pop’s, and making jewelry, and playing with Yoda. And going for walks and talking about the ocean.”

“And we can keep doing all those things,” Toni gave her a reassuring smile, “But babe, it’s gonna work. I can _feel_ it.”

The redhead sniffled again and leaned down to kiss her slowly, wrapping her arms around her neck as she poured all the emotion she had into it as Toni held her tightly around the waist. They had each other no matter what. Tail or no tail.

“You ready?” Toni pressed her forehead against hers, pecking her lips once more for reassurance. 

“I think so,” the younger girl nodded, standing back up with her girlfriend’s help. She kept her hold on Toni’s hand as she approached the edge of the bathtub, stepping one foot into the water and then the next before sitting in the shallow, lukewarm water. The hem of her shirt turned a darker shade of grey under, clinging to her hips. 

Toni sat on the edge of the bathtub, facing her, “Do you want me to call Betty back in?” She waited until Cheryl nodded before calling for the blonde, watching the door as she reappeared before turning back to Cheryl. After a quick squeeze of her hand, she slowly let go, looking down at the locket in her other. 

Why was this so hard? It was just a necklace. All she had to do was put it on. But it came with so much more baggage than anyone else knew. Her mother was wearing the locket when she died. Her father was wearing it when he died. And with those events came emotions that Toni had been suppressing all her life. She was told to be a brave girl and not to cry. And the few times she did, she never let anyone see. 

_“Prove it to her. Let her know that her sacrifices meant something to you,”_ Al’s voice echoed in her head as she watched the light reflect off the gold. This was for Cheryl. Her girlfriend had been through so much just for her. From the dangerous trips to the surface for thirteen years, to finding her way to the city, to having her tail forcibly removed, it was all for her. So Toni could do this for her in return.

Picking her eyes up to meet Cheryl’s deep brown ones, she sent her a hint of a smile as she unclasped the gold chain and brought it up to her neck. Letting the locket fall against her collarbone when the ends were connected, she closed her eyes, feeling her heart pound relentlessly in her chest. But when she opened them again, her heart nearly stopped all together when pale legs still sat under the water.

“No, no, no, it was supposed to work,” angry tears filled her eyes quickly as she stood up from the edge of the tub. She couldn’t even look at Cheryl. She couldn’t bear to see the inevitable hurt in her eyes. Rushing to the door, she brushed past Betty and back to her bedroom, slumping down on the edge of the bed. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. She was so sure of it this time. What were they doing wrong?

“T-Toni...” Cheryl’s tear-filled, trembling voice called from the bathroom followed by a few little sobs and pitiful whimpers. It broke the pink haired girl right in half from the top of her head to the bottom of her toes as she shook with anger and despair. The sound of Cheryl crying made Toni want to crawl into a hole in the ground and never come out. She felt awful. She’d let her down again.

“Uh...Toni?” Betty’s voice managed to cut through the sound of her heartbeat pounding in her ears. And when she looked up, the blonde was beckoning her over to the door, shock evident on her face even from the side. 

The older girl stood back up, wiping under her eyes as she wrapped an arm around her torso while the other gripped tightly to the locket around her neck. Her heart beat even faster, knowing that sooner or later she had to face Cheryl and help her through the heartache once again. And she would rather it be sooner than later. But before she could even open her mouth to ask Betty why she called her over, the sight of shimmery, iridescent scales caught her eye.

“Oh my god,” she muttered, swerving around Betty again before kneeling down beside the bathtub where Cheryl had her face buried in her hands, shoulders shaking as she cried. 

“Cher...we did it,” she let out a watery laugh, reaching over to run her fingertips over the shiny scales, too happy to even be freaked out by the feeling of them under her touch. Cheryl was still inconsolable behind her palms, but Toni leaned over and cupped a hand behind her head, running her fingers through her hair comfortingly as tears flowed down her own face.

“I do not know why I am crying, Toni, I am not sad,” the redhead blubbered, uncovering her face to wrap her arms around Toni’s shoulders as she cried into her neck.

“Baby, people cry when they’re happy too,” Toni couldn’t help but chuckle, hugging her tightly.

“I am very happy,” Cheryl giggled back through her tears as Toni peppered kisses all around  
her face. Pulling back, she smiled at the tail in front of her, running her fingers across the scales in awe. “This has happened before in my head at night.”

“Like a dream?” 

“Yes. It feels like this is a dream,” she nodded, sniffling the last of her happy tears away as she flipped her fins side to side, “But we are not in a dream, are we, Toni?”

“No, this is real,” the pinkette laughed and leaned over to kiss her again, “100% real, babe.”

“I dunno, I feel like I’m gonna wake up in a cold sweat any second now,” Betty chuckled nervously from the doorway, startling the other girls momentarily. Apparently they’d both been so caught up in the moment they’d forgotten that they weren’t alone. 

“Crazy right?” Toni chuckled, wiping her eyes as she turned to face her best friend, “At least you didn’t faint like I did.” She watched with a warm smile as Cheryl reached an arm out toward the blonde, beckoning her over with a look of reassurance. 

Unsurprisingly, Betty stepped closer and knelt on the bathmat beside Toni, gaping at the shimmery scales and fins in front of her. “Wow,” she breathed, unsure of what else to say, “You really weren’t kidding.”

“I was also not kidding about not telling anyone,” Cheryl reached for her hand, squeezing it to put emphasis on the importance of her words, “No one can know. Unless they can be trusted to keep it a secret.”

“That includes Jughead, F.P., your mom...everyone. Until Cheryl’s comfortable telling them,” Toni added with a nod.

“Yeah, totally. Of course,” Betty nodded before looking at the redhead, “But...why were you okay with telling me?”

Shrugging, Cheryl smiled fondly and looked between her and Toni, “Because you are Toni’s best friend. And she trusts you with everything. But you have also been there for me many times. You are my friend too.”

“Hey, I’m just glad to see Toni’s found someone that makes her happy. It’s gonna take some getting used to, knowing about this, but Toni’s right. It’s not gonna change anything,” she blushed and nudged Toni’s thigh with her elbow.

The eldest of the three felt her heart swell so much that she thought it would bust clean out of her chest. This really happened. After everything, Cheryl had her tail back. It was a part of her, and she could finally feel whole again. 

As Betty and Cheryl chattered excitedly, Toni just bit her lip to keep her smile small and subtle. Part of her still couldn’t believe this was happening. And the fact that it had all only been happening over a span of two months was even harder to believe. In just a few weeks, she’d taken in a stranger, fallen in love, lost her job, lost _herself_ , suffered through heartbreak, and faced her greatest fears. All that and so much more. She felt like she’d had the adventure of a lifetime with more excitement than some people get in their whole lives. But butterflies flew around the pit of her stomach over the fact that the adventure wasn’t over. If anything, it was just beginning.

**xxx**

“We are here?” Cheryl smiled, looking out the windshield of the car at the sight Toni had grown so familiar with over the past week and a half. The endless labyrinth of poles, rigs, ropes, and lowered sails from the boats that sat along the docks. “This is where Violet is?”

Toni nodded with her bottom lip between her teeth, hiding the grin that threatened to spread across her face as Cheryl excitedly unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car. Ever since she found out this morning that Toni had finally gone sailing, she had been asking questions about it almost non-stop, wanting to know what it was like and if she would take her out on the boat one day.

But while she was still reeling from the high she’d been riding all day, Toni figured that today was as good as ever. They picked up some food to go from Pop’s and she told Cheryl in the car on the way to the docks where they were going. Even if they didn’t actually go out and sail, she had been wanting to show Cheryl her dad’s boat for a while now anyways. 

“Cher, wait,” she chuckled, getting out of the car, holding their milkshakes in both hands while Cheryl held tight to the paper bag full of food. She caught up with the girl who was bouncing up and down on the tips of her feet like an excited puppy and lead her across the street and onto the grass before they stepped onto the creaky wooden dock. 

The redhead waved at a few passing sailors and fishermen on their way, gasping when she saw the familiar sequence of letters printed on the side of one of the vessels. “Violet!” she squealed with excitement, running towards the boat and looking it up and down in awe, “She is amazing!”

Toni just chuckled and followed her, watching as she ran her fingertips over the flower that embellished the name on the side. “Yeah, it’s pretty great,” she smiled before taking the bag of food from her, “Climb on up, I’ll hand you these and then I’ll come up.”

Cheryl nodded and giggled as she climbed the ladder, glancing around with wide eyes when she got to the deck. And after a bit of a struggle to get their dinner onto the deck as well, Toni was up with her. The pinkette watched as her girlfriend explored. She’d never been on a boat before, so naturally she was like a kid in a candy store. She toyed with the steering wheel, she stood at the bow, and she peeked under the bench compartments, wanting to see anything and everything.

“What is this?” she gestured to a small latch in the floor, kneeling down to try to pull it open. 

“That’s the cabin,” she explained, coming to kneel beside her, “F.P. has the key to get into it.”

“What is in it?”

“A little cot, a table and a few stools. I used to color and do my homework with Jughead down there on longer trips. But most of the time, I was only ever down there if I had to be. Most of the time I wanted to be up here. This is where all the cool stuff happened,” she smiled fondly, a little glad that the cabin was locked. She’d pushed through enough emotional challenges for one day, this one could wait. 

Cheryl smiled fondly and looked up at the flags at the top of the poles, humming contently at the sound of metal clanking and seagulls overhead. “Are we going to sail today?”

“We can go a little ways out if you want. Not too far,” she nodded, standing back up. She reached into the bench compartment and pulled out two life jackets, feeling a little ridiculous offering one to a mermaid. But it was part of the experience. 

“What is this?” Cheryl giggled as Toni tightened the preserver around her waist.

“It’s a life jacket,” the older girl explained, “It helps you float in the water.”

“But I can swim.”

“I know, but...just humor me for right now,” she scrunched up her nose with a slight laugh and kissed her quickly, promising her that she could help once they got going. 

After she got the ropes untied and the sails loosened, she got the boat off the dock and on a clear path for the horizon. With Cheryl’s help she raised a few sails, letting the wind guide their way. It all just felt so natural, as if the past thirteen years had never happened. It was like her dad had just given her lessons yesterday. It was all fresh in her mind, and what wasn’t muscle memory, was memory from just watching her dad and F.P. do it all. 

“We are sailing, Toni!” Cheryl turned to her as she stood along the rail, watching the waves lap at the bottom of the boat below her, “You are not scared?”

“I’m terrified,” she answered honestly with a light laugh, brushing windblown hair from her own eyes, “But...I was born into this. It’s just...natural.”

With smiles exchanged between them, Toni kept the boat heading out as the sky started to turn different shades of orange and pink. And when she looked back to see just trees and taller buildings glowing in the sunset light, she took the sails down and dropped the anchor. The waves weren’t too rocky and the breeze wasn’t too strong. It was the perfect time and place for the two girls to just relax.

Leaning back against the rails, Toni entertained all of Cheryl’s questions, telling her stories about her childhood while Cheryl told her about her own. Cheryl told her about her life as a princess and Toni told her about the time she broke her arm riding her skateboard. But eventually the exchange of stories came to a slow stop as the pair decided to marvel at the sunset in silence, just seagulls and splashing waves filling the cool air around them. 

“We should probably start heading back,” Toni sighed, glancing at her phone. As it was, the sun would be down by the time they got back to the dock. She kissed the back of her girlfriend’s hand gently and helped hey up before going to loosen the mainsail.

When the ropes were secured, she was about to turn to raise the anchor when a splash caught her attention. And to say that her heart dropped when she looked up to see nothing but a pile of Cheryl’s clothes on the stern was an understatement. “Cheryl!” she called, nearly tripping over her own feet when she ran towards the back of the boat, crashing into the rail to look over the edge in search of her girlfriend. But when an iridescent set of fins flipped above the surface before disappearing back under, her heart settled in her chest, reassured with he reminder that her girlfriend was a mermaid. 

“Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” she laughed down at the head that bobbed up from the water. She remembered that this was Cheryl’s first time back in the ocean since she disappeared for those dreaded three weeks. And she wasn’t going to take this moment away from her. 

“I am sorry, Toni,” the redhead giggled up to her, swimming on her back with her arms floating at her sides, “Come in with me.”

The very idea of going in the water made Toni’s stomach turn. She could swim just fine. But her experience with swimming over the last decade consisted of backyard kiddie pools and the Riverdale community pool every summer. But she made a point to avoid swimming in large, natural bodies of water. Especially the ocean. And yes, it had everything to do with her father’s death and her own near death experience. It was no secret. 

“It’s October in New York, babe. I think I’ll pass,” she leaned against the rail and shook her head, watching Cheryl swim in circles, flipping her tail behind her. But as usual, her poker face must have been terrible, since Cheryl looked sympathetically back up at her, swimming closer to the edge of the boat.

“You do not have to be scared, Toni,” she gave her large, honest doe eyes, “I will not let anything bad happen to you. I promise.”

Biting her lip, Toni shook her head again, not even bothering to hide the fact that she was, in fact, scared. She’d gone out sailing, she’d put on her mother’s locket, but jumping head first into the ocean? That was pushing it a little too far. Especially all in one day. “No thanks, babe. Maybe next time,” she muttered with a low voice full of sorrow and shame. She was a firm believer in the saying ‘one step at a time’, and she had already taken so many giant leaps today.

“Maybe next time,” Cheryl repeated. Her smile was small, but understanding nonetheless.

The pink haired girl watched her girlfriend dip under the water, smiling as she flipped her tail playfully before it disappeared along with the rest of her. It was still hard to believe that Cheryl was a mermaid. She’d only seen her with a tail a handful of times. The past two months felt like something out of a dream, like she was a character in a fairytale. The fact that the mermaid that saved her life as a kid was real was far-fetched enough, but now they were dating. The redhead in the water had not only saved her life, but she taught her how to open up again. Toni was learning slowly that vulnerability, intimacy, and so many other things that she feared were simply that: fears. She could either take control and overcome them or let them control her for the rest of her life. 

Reaching up for her locket, she closed her eyes and breathed in deeply as a rush of warmth took over her body, spreading from the inside out. She wasn’t sure where it came from, but she found herself more at peace than she’d ever been before. And with a clear head and jelly-filled limbs, she looked down at the orange sunlight reflecting on the rippling waves again, making the water look warm and welcoming.

“Fuck it,” she whispered, unclipping her life vest before shedding her jacket and clothes until she was stripped down to a black bralette and boy shorts. In the back of her head, she could hear thoughts of protest, trying to stop her from climbing up onto the rail. But she pushed them farther back as the warm, hypnotizing peace that had taken over remained front and center. Staring down into the water, she held tightly to the rail as she kicked her legs over. The cool breeze was nipping at her skin, but she couldn’t be bothered by it. Instead, she squeezed her eyes shut and let go of the rail, jumping into the ripples of orange and blue, letting the cold water engulf her entirely. 

Under the surface, she opened her eyes, feeling the sting the cold saltwater in them as a figure came closer to her, coming out of the darkness and into her line of vision. But just as she was about to panic, the smiling face of the love of her life made itself clearer as she felt herself being pulled up towards the surface again. The moment was so familiar to her, only this time there was no storm, no death, no fear. Just her and her mermaid savior. 

“Are you all right, Toni?” Cheryl brushed soaking pink strands from her face. Her voice was dripping with concern, but her face was bright and giddy.

Toni blinked the water from her eyes and looked around them. She did it. She was swimming in the ocean. “Y-yeah,” she nodded, unsure if her teeth were chattering from the adrenaline or the cold.

“You did it! I am proud of you!” Cheryl hugged her around the shoulders, oddly warm around her considering the cold that surrounded them. 

Toni was too awestruck to speak as she hugged her back, gently kicking her legs to stay afloat as her feel brushed against Cheryl’s silky smooth scales. “I’ve gotta be...dreaming...right?” she asked through gently panted breaths, staring into Cheryl’s brown eyes after she pulled back from their embrace. 

“No, this is real,” the mermaid smiled, scrunching her nose playfully as she repeated the same words Toni had reassured her with earlier in the day, “100% real, _babe_.” She giggled as the pink haired girl splashed her gently before wrapping her arms around her neck and kissing her firmly on the lips, giggling at the feeling of goosebumps rising on Toni’s skin under her fingertips. “I love you, Toni,” she hummed against her lips as they bobbed up and down in the gentle waves. 

The older girl bit her lip to hold back the wide grin that threatened to take over her face. Until Cheryl came along, those words didn’t mean much to her. She didn’t hear them often. If she did, they were from people who she always assumed just saw her as poor little orphan Toni. People who would say anything to make her feel better. It wasn’t until she got older that she started to appreciate hearing it more. But hearing it from Cheryl was something entirely different. This girl looked at her like she hung the stars in the sky. She loved her unconditionally. And Toni never thought that she would ever experience that with anyone.

“I love you too,” she whispered and kissed her again, loving the feeling of her smiling against her lips. 

A few weeks ago, she thought that she had taught Cheryl what love was. She remembered Cheryl so absurdly claiming to love her after watching When Harry Met Sally. But now, looking back on their time together, she realized that Cheryl had been the one teaching her what love is all along.

“Come on,” the mermaid kissed her once more before letting her go, diving under the water and popping back up a few feet away much to Toni’s confusion.

“What are we doing?” she asked, swimming over to her slowly.

“We are racing!” Cheryl giggled, diving back under, splashing Toni with water.

“Wait, that’s not fair!” the older girl laughed, starting to swim after her as fast as she could.


	30. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome back! This is the last update. I tried my hardest to tie up any loose ends so hopefully this doesn’t disappoint. It’s honestly just 10k words of fluff and a few flashbacks. Enjoy!

_**A Few Months Later** _

Toni walked through the apartment door, closing it behind her and shivering at the unusual chill in the apartment. It was Christmas Eve and Cheryl had come down with a cold just last night. The first one she’d ever had, too, which made things even more interesting. Having to teach a grown woman how to blow her nose and swallow pills was something Toni never thought she would ever have to do, but, of course, she didn’t mind. Especially when her girlfriend was impossibly cuter when she was sniffly and fatigued. 

Glancing around, she found the source of the chill easily when she saw the door to the balcony wide open and a head of red hair tied in a bun standing outside. 

“Cher, it’s freezing out, what are you doing?” she rushed over and out the door, trying to gently tug her back inside. She was wrapped in a fluffy blanket with clothes bundled on underneath, but she still shoudln’t have been outside. Especially when it was starting to snow. 

“Look, Toni,” the younger girl smiled, looking out at the snow that had started to fall while the pinkette was at the pharmacy, “It is raining, but white. And cold.” 

“It’s snow,” Toni chuckled, watching as she reached a hand out from under the blanket she was wrapped in to catch a few of the large flakes on her fingertips, “And trust me, there will be plenty of it for the rest of the winter. You should be in bed.”

Pouting, Cheryl allowed herself to be brought back inside and ushered back to the bedroom where Toni tucked her back into the same spot she had been in before she left. 

“I got you some liquid medicine,” she sifted through the small shopping bag as she sat on the edge of the bed, pulling items out to show her red-nosed girlfriend, “It’ll be easier to take than the pills, but it might taste worse.” 

The redhead grimaced at the memory of trying to take a pill yesterday. After watching her struggle and nearly choke three times, Toni decided that maybe liquid medicine would be a better choice. She pulled out a few more items such as a new box of tissues, thermometer, and a little bag of cough drops. Each item put a new twinkle of curiosity in Cheryl’s sunken eyes, as if being sick for the first time was some kind of adventure. 

“Oh, I got you this too,” Toni pulled a red stuffed bear out of the bag with a smile, handing it to her. 

Cheryl’s eyes lit up even more as she cuddled the bear to her chest, nuzzling into its fluffy red fur. “Toni, it is not Christmas yet, I am not supposed to get gifts early.”

Toni chuckled as she repeated the rule that she’d told her multiple times back to her. She’d explained the concept of Christmas to Cheryl a few weeks ago. And while she wasn’t religious, she still liked to participate in some of the seasonal traditions. They’d gone out to look at lit up houses and picked out a real tree that currently resided in the corner of the living room dressed in lights, tinsel, and a mix of new and old ornaments.

_“We are bringing the tree from outside to live with us?” Cheryl asked curiously, albeit very confused. She didn’t understand why they could bring a tree in from outside, but Toni wouldn’t let her bring in the raccoon she had met by the mailbox a few weeks ago._

_“Just for a little while. We’re gonna decorate it and make it look pretty,” Toni explained as the employee at the tree farm strapped the seven six foot Douglas-Fir to the roof of her car, “And then after Christmas, we’ll put all the decorations in storage until next year.”_

_“The tree will go in storage too?” the redhead’s forehead wrinkled in confusion as she clung to Toni’s arm. Humans had such strange traditions, though she didn’t find them any less fascinating._

_“Well...no, the tree we’ll probably put over by the dumpster.”_

_Frowning, Cheryl shook her head in protest, not okay with that idea. “But it is not trash. It is nature. We should take it back here. This is its home,” her eyes widened as she looked around at the rest of the trees._

_There were times like now when Toni was reminded that her girlfriend didn’t exactly see things the same way as everyone else. “But babe, it’s already out of the ground. They can’t just re-plant it and save it,” she explained gently, rubbing her hand soothingly over the arm of Cheryl’s jacket._

_“So what will happen to it?”_

_Realistically, Toni knew that the tree would end up in some kind of wood chipper or end up tossed away with the trash at the dump. But she had a feeling that she’d offended Cheryl enough. “I dunno, babe,” she shrugged, biting the inside of her cheek as the redhead looked perturbedly at the tree being strapped to the car. As much as she liked the idea of a real tree, she was pretty sure that they would be investing in an artificial one next year._

After starting off the holiday season with their newly decorated tree (which Cheryl had insisted on taking the best care of), Toni had taken her into the city one weekend to see the lights and decorations around Manhattan. Needless to say, Cheryl loved it. She had, so far, loved every holiday they’d spent together. And she still had more of them to learn about.

“Well, this isn’t a Christmas gift, it’s an ‘I’m sorry you’re sick’ gift,” she explained the bear with an adoring smile, reaching over to feel her forehead with the back of her hand. “You’re still pretty warm. If we don’t get your fever down by tomorrow afternoon, I think we’re gonna skip out on Christmas at F.P.’s so you can get some rest.”

“But I want to go,” the younger girl shook her head with wide eyes. She didn’t want to ruin Toni’s Christmas. She hadn’t meant to get sick. She didn’t even know she _could_ get sick. But Toni said it was probably from coming back from her trips to the ocean when the weather was so cold. 

“I know you do, but if we can’t go, we’ll work something out, okay? For now, just rest and focus on getting better,” Toni kissed her forehead gently before starting to prepare some of the medicine in a little measuring cup for her. She’d told her to not go into the water as much now that it had gotten much colder out. But Cheryl insisted on going. 

They’d come up with a system. Every Monday, Toni would drop Cheryl off at the private slice of beach behind the Jones’s house before the sun came up, kissing her goodbye and helping her shed her clothes before she swam off into the dark water to spend the day with her friends or her grandmother. And late Monday nights after Toni had spent the day at work, she would go back to pick her up, help her dress and warm up again before they went home for the night.

Tuesday through Thursday while Toni went to work, Cheryl walked, fed and played with Archie and Valerie’s puppy while they were at work. It didn’t surprise Toni one bit that Cheryl was so good with the little puppy. She was also great with the young couple’s daughter Alex when they babysat her every now and then. And the little girl adored Cheryl.

_Watching with pure adoration, Toni snapped a quick photo of her girlfriend who was leaning back against the couch cushions with their neighbor’s daughter sleeping against her chest, rocking her gently as she sang a quiet melody. They’d only babysat Alexandria twice before, but the amount of pictures of them Toni had on her phone would make anyone else think that they were with her every day. And the little girl certainly did love her friend “Shewell”._

_“Is she sleeping?” Cheryl whispered, not wanting to wake the toddler if she was._

_“Yeah, she’s out cold. I think we wore her out,” she smiled with a quiet chuckle, relishing the sight of the two of them. Ever since one of their elderly neighbors made a comment about the three of them being a ‘beautiful family’ while they were out for a walk with the little girl an hour ago, Toni couldn’t help but notice that to anyone who didn’t know any better, Alex did look like she could be their own. She had her mother’s tanned skin that was similar to Toni’s, and her ringlet curls were a shade of auburn that she obviously got from her father. If it weren’t for her having Valerie’s light green eyes, the toddler would be the perfect mix of both of herself and Cheryl._

_Yawning, Cheryl leaned her head down against Alex’s curls and closed her eyes. She was worn out as well. They’d only been babysitting for about three hours, but after the walk, chasing her around Archie and Valerie’s apartment, and crawling around with her on the floor, letting her ride on her back, the older redhead was ready for a nap of her own._

_Toni watched as she held tight to the sleeping girl and laid herself down on the couch, letting Alex sleep contently on her chest. Yoda jumped up and made himself comfortable in the little nook between her knees with a yawn of his own. The pinkette snapped one more picture from her spot on the recliner, trying not to think too hard about what it would be like if the sight in front of her was something she could see every day._

On Fridays after spending their weekdays apart, Cheryl would go with Toni to work. She helped out around the office, cutting paper doing a few other tasks that were simple enough for her. She loved feeling useful. And more than that, she loved spending time with Toni and watching her work.

And after a week of schedules and structure, the girls took the weekends to do whatever they wanted, whether it was staying in all day or going out and trying something new. Toni promised that summers in Riverdale were a lot more fun than the winters, but Cheryl seemed to have fun with whatever they did.

“Here, take this,” she handed her the little measuring cup of purple liquid, frowning at the look on the redhead’s face when she drank the offensive tasting medicine.

“That purple does not taste good,” Cheryl stuck her tongue out and squeezed her eyes shut. 

Toni just gave her a lighthearted chuckle and took the cup back. “It’s not supposed to taste good. It’s like they wanna punish you for getting sick.”

“But I did not mean to get sick,” she pouted with a nasally voice accompanied by a sneeze and several sniffles.

“I know, babe. But the sooner you get better the sooner you won’t have to take the medicine anymore,” she leaned forward to press a soft kiss to her warm forehead before tucking her in, “I’m gonna go make a call, I’ll be right back. Try to get some sleep.”

Nodding, Cheryl curled up with her new stuffed bear and yawned as the medicine took over, putting her to sleep quickly.

****

**xxx**

“Baby, please don’t cry,” Toni frowned, bringing her sniffling girlfriend in for a hug. Just like she said, they waited out Cheryl’s sickness until the afternoon of Christmas Day. But by three o’clock, Cheryl’s fever hadn’t gone down and she was still feeling pretty sick. “Everybody’s okay with it. They understand, and they don’t wanna do Christmas without us, so we can just postpone it a little. Maybe we can wait a week and do Christmas on New Years Eve and do a double holiday thing.”

“B-but it will not be Christmas anymore,” the redhead sniffled. Being sick had made her extra tired, which of course toyed with her emotions. She hated being sick. There were so many things she couldn’t do because of it. She couldn’t go outside and she coudn’t smell anything. Toni even said she couldn’t kiss her or see Alex again until she was better because she was “contagious”. She hated the word “contagious” and everything that came with it. Toni was supposed to have a great Christmas this year. Cheryl promised that she would.

_“You don’t have to come with me, Cher, I’ll be quick,” Toni mumbled with a bit of a trembling voice. She’d done this every year around Christmas. But she hadn’t done it with company since she was ten. After things started going downhill in her relationship with F.P., she would ride her bike here alone until she was sixteen. After which, she would drive._

_“Do you want me to not come with you?” the redhead asked gently from the passenger seat. There were times when Cheryl was naive enough to not know what to say in certain moments and would sometimes end up saying the wrong thing. Unintentionally, of course. But there were some moments, like now, when she just seemed to understand the vibe around them. Like she could sense the tension and made it a point to choose her words carefully._

_Thinking about it, Toni wasn’t sure what she wanted. Ever since she was old enough to understand and feel the heavy weight that came with her parents’ deaths, she’d internalized it and never let anyone see how badly it affected her. But Cheryl knew all about how she felt about it all. Cheryl hadn’t seen Toni at her worst, but she’d seen more than anyone else. More than Betty or Jughead. So maybe the company of someone who understood wouldn’t be so bad._

_“Actually, will you, um...will you come with me?” she asked nervously, flicking her eyes up to meet Cheryl’s sympathetic brown ones._

_“Of course I will. When you are ready,” the redhead nodded and squeezed her hand, holding the small bouquet of violets in her lap._

_With a small but grateful smile, Toni turned back towards the entrance of the cemetery from their spot in the little church parking lot. Her mother and grandparents were laid to rest in the back by the trees. She never knew where her father was supposed to be buried. Her other set of grandparents were in a cemetery on the edge of town. But she had a feeling that her father would have wanted to stay with his wife. Unfortunately, his body was never recovered. And a simple memorial plaque was placed with her mother’s headstone._

_Taking a big gulp of air, Toni gripped onto the latch on the drivers side door, letting herself out of the car as Cheryl followed her lead, looping around the car to take her hand._

_“I think they will be happy to see you,” the redhead commented with an innocent grin, letting Toni carry the flowers in her free hand while she held onto the other, “They do not get to see you often.”_

_“Yeah,” she couldn’t help but smile solemnly at the comment. She typically only made a trip to the cemetery once a year around Christmas because it was her mom’s favorite holiday, toting her favorite flowers with her so she could replace the dried ones from the previous year._

_Walking through the gate, Toni kept glancing over at Cheryl, wondering if being in a cemetery was creeping her out at all. But she seemed to be content as they walked around headstones on their way towards the back row. “What do you do in the ocean when someone dies?” she asked quietly, hoping that her question wasn’t offensive._

_“We do not do anything. We do not bury them because they are not there. All we can do is say goodbye if we are given the chance.”_

_“What do you mean they’re not there?”_

_“When we die, we...go away. Our bodies turn to sea foam and we are lifted to the surface and we become one with the waves,” she explained calmly._

_“Did you get to say goodbye to your brother?” Toni asked in a gentle manner, hoping not to upset her._

_Cheryl nodded her head, “I did. He was brought back home very hurt. But I got to see him before he left.”_

_“That’s good,” Toni sighed as they approached the headstone of her mother and grandparents. Their names were all etched into the same stone with the plaque of her father’s on the bottom. On either side of the stone were small vases that had been attached, filled with shriveled, dry violets._

_Kneeling down, she cleared out the old ones and brushed some dirt from the stone, letting her fingertips linger briefly over the names before she filled the vases back up, making it look less desolate with the splash of color. After staying knelt down in front of the stone in silence, she stood back up and turned to her girlfriend with a tight-lipped smile. “You ready?”_

_“You are not going to say anything to them?” Cheryl asked quietly, concern on her face._

_“I don’t usually. I’m never really sure of what to say,” she shrugged, biting her lip, “It’s okay, though. Come on, I’m getting hungry.” She stepped forward to reach for her hand, but Cheryl stepped in the opposite direction, walking past her until she was right in front of the headstone. Toni turned and watched as she looked down at the headstone, wondering what was going on inside her head._

_“Can I talk to them?” the younger girl turned to ask with some trepidation in her voice._

_Quirking an eyebrow, Toni’s jaw slacked a bit. She wasn’t exactly prepared for that question. But Cheryl gazed at her with subtle pleading eyes like she really had something she wanted to say. “Uh...yeah. Sure, go ahead.”_

_The redhead nodded before turning back to the stone. Toni could see her shoulders rise and fall under her puffy red jacket as she took a deep breath._

_“Hello Violet and Tony,” she greeted cheerfully while still keeping her voice respectfully low, “My name is Cheryl and I am Toni’s girlfriend. I am from the ocean and Toni has been making me feel very at home in your world.”_

_The pink haired girl smiled warmly to herself as she stepped a little closer to where Cheryl was standing._

_“Tony, I am sorry that I could not save you that day. I did try very hard. And Violet, I have heard many stories about you and I know that you were a wonderful person. And I wish I could have met you.”_

_Toni reached up to rub Cheryl’s back gently over her jacket as a cool winter breeze blew through the cemetery._

_“I gave your locket back to Toni so you will both always be with her. I know she misses you very much,” the redhead continued, “It is Christmas in five days. She told me that it was Violet’s favorite holiday. And I promise that I will make sure she is happy. Because I would want my daughter to be happy on my favorite holiday too, even if I was not with her.”_

_A single tear fell down Toni’s cheek just before Cheryl turned to her and wiped it away for her. “Thanks,” she mumbled through a watery laugh, trying to lighten the emotionally heavy moment._

_“We can go now,” Cheryl smiled, kissing her cheek gently, “If you are ready.”_

_“Yeah, I’m ready,” the older girl sniffled and wiped her eye before taking her hand and walking slowly back to the car, glancing over her shoulder for one last look at the headstone as the bright sun reflected off the polished plaque._

“Cher, baby, calm down. It’s really not a big deal,” Toni tried to soothe her distraught girlfriend, trying to get her to lay back down in bed.

“I promised your parents that today would be happy!” the mermaid shook her head, still trying to sit up like a petulant child who refused to take a nap.

“I’m _am_ happy,” Toni forced a smile onto her face. She wasn’t lying. She was happy, but it was difficult to smile when your girlfriend was having a meltdown, “Cheryl, I’m happy, I promise. We’re still gonna have a good day! We can give each other our gifts if you want and watch Christmas movies...We’ll just spend time with the family another day, that’s all. No big deal. It’s not like we never see them.” The redhead stared up at her with sad eyes as her bottom lip wobbled. She knew how much Cheryl wanted today to be extra special, but she didn’t have the heart to tell her that while she loved the season, Christmas was just another day to her. 

“How about this,” Toni rested a hand on hers, “I’ll get you some medicine and you and I can cuddle up on the couch with hot chocolate and some movies.”

Cheryl wiped at her eyes and sniffled from both her cold and from crying, “Will that make you happy today?” 

“That would make me the happiest. I just wanna relax and take care of you, I don’t need everyone else,” Toni kissed her forehead before reaching for the bottle of liquid medicine on the nightstand, pouring some out for her, “So here, take this and we’ll hang out in the living room, okay? You can put on that Frosty The Snowman DVD Val leant us if you wanna watch it.”

Sniffling, Cheryl just nodded and tossed back the purple liquid, coughing at the foul taste as she wiped her eyes and nose.

“Thank you,” Toni muttered quietly with a sympathetic smile, leaning in to kiss her forehead before helping her to her feet. The poor girl was bundled up from head to toe in thick socks, sweatpants, and a crew neck sweatshirt in an attempt to keep her warm and help sweat her fever out. She knew Cheryl was miserable, but there wasn’t much she could do to help besides keep her comfortable. 

Leading her out into the open living space, Toni kissed the back of her hand as they parted ways, letting Cheryl put in the DVD while she went to the kitchen and started to make hot chocolate for the both of them. “You want extra marshmallows, babe?” she looked over the bar and into the living room where the redhead was getting comfortable on the sofa and blowing her nose with a bit of struggle before nodding.

Sighing quietly to herself, Toni dropped a handful of marshmallows into each of their mugs before carrying them over to the living room, send a small grin in Cheryl’s direction as she sat down with her. 

“There are two movies,” Cheryl commented, looking at the DVD case as the main menu popped up on the screen, “But they are both about Frosty.”

“The second one is the sequel, I think,” Toni looked at the case with her, “I haven’t seen that one since I was a ki-“

“Knock knock!” the voice of her uncle comes from the quickly opening front door without an actual knock, “Merry Christmas!”

The girls turn around to see F.P., Jughead, Betty and Alice coming through their door with and array of gifts and food, putting a wide smile on Cheryl’s face and a look of pure shock on Toni’s. This definitely wasn’t the plan for the day. 

“What are you doing here?” she stood up to greet them, watching as Cheryl eagerly hugged them all.

“Well, we weren’t gonna let you miss Christmas just cause your girlfriend looks like Rudolph,” Jughead chuckled after hugging Cheryl, gently poking her in the arm as F.P. moved past them to place gifts under the tree.

“Toni, he is giving me shit,” Cheryl accused with her jaw clenched offendedly. She’d recently seen Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer and she didn’t appreciate Jughead’s comment on her stuffy red nose. 

“He’s just playing, babe,” Toni kicked his shin hard enough to hurt, causing him to let out a yelp that received laughter and no sympathy from anyone in the room before he hobbled over to the tree to help lay out more presents. 

“You guys didn’t have to do this, I thought we were just gonna postpone til New Years or something,” Toni sighed to Betty after Cheryl walked over to kneel curiously beside the tree with the boys and Alice went to the kitchen to start cooking.

“It’s her first Christmas, T,” Betty whispered, bobbing her head in Cheryl’s direction, “Plus, she got you something _really_ good, I wanted to see your reaction when you opened it.”

Toni just snorted and shook her head. She knew whatever Cheryl got her, she was eager to give it to her. All last week she had been asking if she could give it to her, but Toni had to keep reminding her of how many days there were until Christmas. “She needs to be resting.”

“She can rest after today,” Betty shrugged, gesturing to the sniffly but giddy redhead again, “I mean come on, look how excited she is.”

Toni looked over at her girlfriend who was staring in awe at the amount of presents being placed under the tree with the ones that they had there already. She knew how excited Cheryl was for today, and she hated being the one to tell her that they had to postpone to another day. And she knew that there was no way in hell that she would be able to get her family to leave now that they were already here. “Maybe a few hours wouldn’t hurt,” she released a deep breath through her mouth, slumping her shoulders.

“God, when did you become so responsible?” Betty chuckled and went to join her mom in the kitchen. 

“Shut up,” the pink haired girl rolled her eyes and followed her, “Also she’s not allowed to help with cooking. Not when she’s sick. I’ll let you be the one to break that news to her.” She laughed a little at the look of horror on Betty’s face. She knew how much Cheryl loved helping in the kitchen ever since she started learning how to cook successfully. Telling her she couldn’t help in the kitchen was probably going to go just as bad as their conversation about postponing Christmas, if not worse.

_“Everything going okay, Cher?” Toni sat a bit nervously in the living room, keeping an eye out for smoke. Cheryl was making cookies on her own for the first time. Granted, they were the ready-to-bake kind. All she had to do was place them on a cookie sheet and put them in the oven, but this was Cheryl’s first time making something on her own. And as much as Toni supported her, she couldn’t help but be a little paranoid. She may have had a fire extinguisher under the sink and a fire escape plan laid out, but she still supported Cheryl in her endeavors._

_“They are almost done!” the redhead called back. Toni wasn’t allowed in the kitchen to help or even watch because Cheryl wanted to do this on her own. But she just knew that her girlfriend was sitting in front of the oven, watching through the window as the cookies baked._

_So far, so good, though. There was no smoke, no strange smells, and Cheryl still sounded pretty happy. It wasn’t a beef wellington, but it was a starting point._

_The oven timer beeped and Toni just silently prayed that Cheryl remembered to put on oven mitts. As a control freak, the past twenty minutes had been torture for her, not knowing how things were going. But she heard the pan get placed down gently on the stove as calm, quiet humming came streaming from the kitchen, putting her mind at ease._

_“Can I come over yet?” she called out, this time just curious to see how the cookies turned out._

_“You can c- oh no!!” Cheryl started out confidently before her voice took a turn, making Toni get up faster than she would have otherwise. But thankfully when she turned the corner into the kitchen, nothing was broken but a single cookie that Cheryl had been attempting to scrape off the cookie sheet._

_“I broke it!” the mermaid looked at her, horrified like everything she’d worked for was ruined._

_“Hey, it’s okay, they just need to cool down a little bit first before you can take them off the cookie sheet,” Toni walked over to where she was standing with a spatula in one hand and an oven mitt on the other, looking down at the pan of cookies. They looked perfect. They were perfectly round and golden brown along the edges, each one with a cute little pumpkin or ghost design in the middle for Halloween._

_Reaching over, she plucked the broken one off the pan, blowing on it gently before handing one half to Cheryl, who looked at her a bit sadly. “This is just the one we’re supposed to share, that’s all,” she smiled reassuringly as the redhead put the spatula down and took the half cookie Toni offered to her._

_They ate their halves in silence as Toni cocked her head to the side, watching for Cheryl’s reaction. “How do you think you did?”_

_“Very good,” she grinned ear to ear with confidence, making Toni laugh and nod her head._

_“Yeah, I’d call this a success,” she stepped closer to kiss her gently._

Ever since that one successful attempt at making cookies, Cheryl had loved being in the kitchen. Whether she was helping or doing something on her own. She wanted to learn how to cook everything. It was still a baby steps and trial and error period, but she was getting better. She loved baking more than anything. She’d already set a goal for herself. She wanted to get good enough at baking to make Toni’s birthday cake for her her in March. 

Speaking of which, Toni was still trying to work out when Cheryl’s birthday was. According to the mermaid, she was born on the 60th day of summer, which Toni had yet to decode into a day and month. It had to be sometime in August since she had come to land for the first time right around the end of summer.

“Toni, look!” the redhead came running up to her with a big box in her arms, “F.P. said this one is for me! It is huge!”

“Wonder what that could be. You can open it when we do presents later, okay?” Toni knew that a large, multi-piece box of baking supplies was under the red and green wrapping paper, but she wasn’t going to spoil that surprise for her. 

Nodding, Cheryl sniffled with a smile and walked back to the tree, giggling when F.P. scolded her gently for trying to look in her and Toni’s stockings that he was stuffing. Toni had one from when she was little, but Cheryl had never had a stocking before. And at the store, when she saw the sparkly red one in the shape of a mermaid tail, she knew that it was the one she wanted. 

“I’m gonna get dinner started,” Alice announced as she put the already cooked turkey in the oven to stay hot, making Betty and Toni wince when it caught Cheryl’s attention. 

“Can I help?” the redhead asked with wide eyes after a little sneeze, already working her way over to the kitchen. 

“Actually, Cheryl, we usually play a board game while my mom cooks if you wanna play. She’s kind of a control freak in the kitchen,” Betty walked over and sorted through one of the bags they brought.

“I heard that!” Alice called out as she started preheating the oven.

Chuckling, Betty pulled out the box for the game Sorry! making Toni let out a cocky laugh. “I don’t know why you guys bother trying to beat me at this game. I’m undefeated.”

“It’s only for four people though,” Jughead commented, taking a seat beside the coffee table.

“Cheryl’s never played before,” Toni sat across from him and looked over at her girlfriend, “Babe, come on, you can be on my team.”

Cheryl padded over curiously, her desire to help in the kitchen forgotten as Toni pulled her to sit on her lap on the floor. With a content smile, she cuddled up with her and watched as the others unfolded the board, shuffled the cards and pulled out the pawns. 

“Dibs on red,” Toni stated before Jughead could even reach for the red ones. 

“But I’m always red.”

“Yeah, but Cheryl’s never played before and her favorite color is red, so dibs on red,” she repeated, reaching over to snatch up the four red pawns.

“Whatever. By your rules, green always wins anyways, so maybe this time I’ll get lucky,” he stuck his tongue out at her and placed his green pieces in his starting circle as Betty set the cards down and claimed the yellow pieces for herself. 

“Does Alice not like to play?” Cheryl asked, looking down at the board as she leaned against Toni’s chest, feeling her chin on her shoulder and her arms wrap protectively around her waist through her thick crew neck.

F.P. chuckled and leaned over to speak to her at a volume that Alice couldn’t hear him, “She’s a sore loser. And she never wins.”

“I heard that too!” the older blonde called from the kitchen again. 

Laughing the five in the living room started the board game. Cheryl picked up on it quickly with everyone’s help. Toni would show her strategic moves, telling her who to knock off the board and why. And each time, Cheryl would, like the game rules stated, apologize for sending them back to the starting point. Though she did it much less smugly than Toni would. If anything, she seemed genuinely sorry. But after a while, she started to get just as competitive as the rest. 

“If we get a three, we win,” Toni told her towards the end of the game, squeezing her gently around the waist. 

Smiling, Cheryl drew a card and showed it to the pinkette who pumped her fist victoriously in the air. 

“Read’em and weep, that’s three,” Toni turned the card around to show everyone else as Cheryl giggled and moved their last pawn into their red home spot. “Looks like I was wrong all these years, it’s not green that always wins, it’s _Toni_ that always wins.”

“You’re such a sore winner,” Jughead rolled his eyes, tossing one of his pawns at her.

“I think we should play Go Fish,” F.P. pulled a deck of cards out of the bag as everyone else groaned.

“All you ever wanna play is Go Fish,” Betty teased, but started to clean up the board game.

“I’m a fisherman!” he fought back with a laugh, starting to shuffle the deck.

“We are going fishing?” Cheryl turned to Toni with worried eyes. She didn’t want to do that.

“No, it’s just the name of the card game, babe,” the older girl explained, “No actual fish.”

The redhead noticeably relaxed and turned back to where the deck of cards was being dealt by a fast-handed F.P..

“There sure is a lot of stuff you’ve never done before, Cheryl. Board games, Christmas...Where are you from again?” he eyed her with a kind but suspicious look.

“Overseas. A small village,” she answered automatically just like she’d been told. Until she was ready to tell her secret, that was what they had come up with. That she was from a small village overseas with very little contact with the outside word.

Toni squeezed her around the waist once more and kissed the back of her shoulder over her thick sweatshirt before picking up the deck they were given, explaining the rules to Cheryl as they went along. 

“Dinner’s almost ready,” Alice told them from over the bar as she started to place bowls and plates on the table.

“Smells good!” Toni commented before gently patting Cheryl’s leg, “I’ll be right back.” The redhead nodded and got up from her lap, keeping her head in the intense game of ‘Go Fishing’ as she called it. Which, to Toni’s amusement, everyone else started copying.

Padding over to the kitchen, she approached Alice from behind, hugging her as she fluffed up a bowl of mashed potatoes.

“Whoa, what’s this for?” the older woman put the wooden spoon down and turned to hug her back.

“Thank you for doing all this,” Toni mumbled into her shirt before pulling away, smiling up at her mother figure.

“Sweetie, I just made the food. This was all your uncle’s idea,” Alice whispered with a hand on her shoulder.

“What?”

“This is the first Christmas in _years_ that he was gonna get to spend with you where you didn’t completely hate his guts, kid. And he might not say it out loud, but he adores Cheryl. That girl was the answer to his prayers.”

Toni’s forehead wrinkled in confusion as she looked over to the living room, seeing F.P. playfully tossing cards in Cheryl’s direction, making her laugh. “What do you mean?”

Picking up the bowl of mashed potatoes, she handed it to Toni and ushered her to the table with some plates and silverware. “He sees how happy she’s made you and how much she’s changed you over the past few months. Ever since your father died, I know he’s done some shitty things. But the day you left town was the day he wanted to change and make amends,” she kept her voice quiet as they set the table, “He knows that the last ten years have been rough-“

“You can say that again,” Toni rolled her eyes.

“I know for a fact that he was frustrated. He was grieving as well and didn’t know how to help you. He didn’t handle it well and it ended up getting taken out on you. There’s nothing he can do to change that, but he _is_ trying to make things right now. And if it doesn’t seem like it, it’s because he probably doesn’t want to think he’s forcing you to like him or trying too hard.”

Toni quirked her pursed lips to the side, deep in thought. Years of emotional abuse made it hard for her to see her uncle the way she saw him when she was a little kid. It was hard for her to forget the nights when he would come home so drunk that he couldn’t walk straight and start yelling blames for her father’s death. She remembered being as young as seven years old and crying herself to sleep after he stumbled to his room.

“Listen, Toni. He’s trying to change for the better. I know it doesn’t erase everything he’s done in the past, and I’m certainly not asking you to forgive him or forget it all happened. But just know he _is_ trying to change. For you more than himself. And he wouldn’t do that if he didn’t care,” the older woman brought her back to the kitchen, still keeping her voice low to a point that it was almost drowned out by the laughter from the living room. “But if you’re gonna thank anybody for today, he’s the one. He did this for you and for her.”

Nodding, Toni swallowed the lump in her throat as she shuffled her feet against the hardwood. “Thanks...for telling me his side of it all,” she mumbled with a hint of a smile. 

“Hey, when have you known me to not play mediator between you two? I know he’s got a temper, he’s been one of my best friends since high school,” Alice chuckled.

“Why didn’t you ever say anything about it before?”

“Honestly, would you have even wanted to hear it this time last year? Just a few months after finally getting out of Riverdale?” she quirked an eyebrow at her as she leaned over to take the turkey out of the oven.

Breathing a light chuckle, Toni shook her head, “Yeah, you have a point.”

After the table was set, Alice announced that dinner was ready, getting everyone’s attention as they stood up from the floor around the coffee table. And once Cheryl was seated, Toni approached F.P. nervously, tugging on his shirt sleeve like a child. “Can I, uh...talk to you for a minute?” she swallowed hard, feeling her throat go dry. But after a quick nod, F.P. excused them both as Toni lead him out the front door and into the hallway.

“What’s up?” he asked, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. 

“I, um...thank you...for doing all this for us. Cher was really bummed about not getting to do Christmas today,” she rubbed her arm awkwardly as she tried to keep eye contact with him.

“Hey, the girl shouldn’t have to miss out on her first Christmas just cause she caught a little cold,” the man shrugged, scratching he back of his neck, just as awkward, “She’s a good kid, just like you.”

Toni blushed as a sincere smile took over her face, “Yeah, she’s pretty great.”

“I dunno where you found her, but hold onto her. She’s a little offbeat, but she’s a keeper. I can tell she’s good for ya.”

“How can you tell?”

“Cause you get the same blush and smitten look on your face that your dad used to get when your mom was around. And I see the way you look at each other when you think no one’s watching.”

“That’s a little creepy,” she chuckled, trying to make light of the conversation as she tucked her hair behind her ear.

“Hey, just let me be sentimental and sappy for once, all right? It’s Christmas,” he laughed along with her.

Feeling a bit of weight off her shoulders, Toni wrapped her arms around his middle, breathing in the familiar smell of his cologne that she knew he only put on for special occasions. “Thank you, Uncle F.P.,” she muffled into his flannel button down shirt, “Y’know, for today and for being so nice to Cheryl.”

“No problem, kid. I’m you found someone who makes you happy,” he ran a hand up and down her shoulder blades affectionately before she pulled back, smiling up at him. 

“Come on, old man, I’m starving,” she playfully pat his stomach, making him laugh as she lead him back inside. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a step in rebuilding their relationship. They both knew it would take time.

**xxx**

“Cheryl, do you wanna be our Santa Claus this year?” Alice asked the redhead as everyone was gathered in the living room once again after dinner, mugs of hot chocolate in each of their hands.

“What is that?” she asked with a nasally voice, looking around at everyone for answers. 

“You get to pass out everyone’s presents,” Toni explained from beside her on the couch, “We don’t open them until everyone has all of theirs and then we all open them at the same time.”

The younger girl nodded in understanding before getting up and joining Alice in front of the tree, “I can do it,” she stated confidently with a little sniffle. And with everyone’s approval, she got to work on sorting through each present under the tree, making a pile in front of each person in the room until there were none left. Toni couldn’t help the flutter in her heart each time Cheryl came over to place a gift with her own name on it on the couch, giggling excitedly. 

“That is all of them,” the redhead did one final check under the tree, making sure everyone had their stockings as well.

And on that note, everyone began to tear into their gifts under the warm light of the sunset from outside and the multicolored tree lights. Alice and Betty loved the handmade jewelry from Cheryl and she was over the moon about the baking kit she got from Alice and mermaid scale patterned leggings she got from Betty, as well as everything else she received. 

“Oh my god,” Toni’s jaw dropped when she opened the square box that had her name on it in Cheryl’s childish handwriting, pulling out a string of pristine pearls.

“They are real. Not beads from the store,” Cheryl whispered and bit her lip nervously, hoping Toni liked the necklace she’d worked so hard on. Along with visiting her friends, she’d been spending her Mondays under the sea collecting the authentic pearls for her. She’d heard that pearls were expensive in the human world, but she didn’t have the money to buy them. But she had the means to get them on her own. 

“Babe, this is beautiful, how did you-“

“Betty helped me,” Cheryl grinned as Toni glanced over at the smirking blonde on the floor. 

Toni gaped at the necklace in her hands, knowing that it must have taken a lot of hard work to make. Not to mention it was probably worth a fortune. “Thank you, Cher, I love it,” she placed the necklace back in the box to hug her girlfriend tightly, placing a lingering kiss on her cheek before picking the necklace back up and holding it out, “Put it on for me?”

Nodding, Cheryl placed it over Toni’s head as she lifted her pink hair off her neck, clasping the ends together carefully before letting it lay against her collarbone with the gold locket. “Do you really like it?”

“Are you kidding? I love it,” she reached up for the smooth pearls, fiddling with them gently between her fingers. She still couldn’t believe Cheryl had made her a necklace of real pearls. Sure, Toni had gotten Cheryl her own cell phone with a case covered in cherry print and some new beads for her collection, but those were more necessity gifts than personal ones. But she still had something else to give her after everyone was gone. 

After everyone’s gifts were opened, hugs were given, and heartfelt ‘thank you’s were exchanged, there was a knock at the door that took them all by surprise. 

Getting up curiously, Toni made her way to the door, looking through the peephole to see the rounded but familiar figure of Al on the other side. She hadn’t seen him since the day they got Cheryl’s necklace to finally work. Cheryl had seen him a few times on her trips back home, but never on land.

“Hey babe, I think it’s for you,” she chuckled as she got Cheryl’s attention, opening the door to reveal the tall, skinny man in the entryway. 

Gasping, Cheryl got up from her spot on the couch and ran to the door, throwing herself into the arms of the man who was a stranger to everyone else. “You are here! You are here with us!” the redhead hugged him tightly, standing on her tip-toes to be able to reach around his neck, “It is Christmas here!”

Toni walked back over to the living room after greeting the man over Cheryl’s shoulder, leaving them alone to talk. 

“Who’s that?” Jughead asked with knit brows.

“One of Cheryl’s old friend from back home,” she answered honestly, shifting from foot to foot as she looked back at the ocean-born pair, “She hasn’t seen him in a while.”

“Invite him in, see if he wants something to eat,” F.P. gestured to the kitchen where the fridge was loaded with leftovers. 

With the okay from the others, Toni walked back over to them, smiling when the man pulled her in for a brief hug as well. “It’s good to see you again,” she grinned up at him as he returned the sentiment, “Do you want something to eat? We’ve got a ton of leftovers.”

“No, thank you, I need to be getting back. I just wanted to stop in and say Merry Christmas and see how you were doing,” he nodded politely with a thick accent. 

“You are leaving already?” Cheryl frowned. Sure, she saw him every week, but never here on land, “You just got here.”

“I have a few other friends to visit,” he rested a hand on her shoulder. Toni saw a look of understanding cross Cheryl’s face before she hugged him goodbye so soon after hugging him hello. She couldn’t help but wonder just how many people from the ocean were currently living on land after deciding that they preferred human life over whatever life they lead in the water.

“I’ll see you again soon,” Al kissed the top of Cheryl’s head affectionately and placed a small wrapped box from out of nowhere in her hands, telling her to get well soon before leaving just as fast as he came.

Closing the door gently, Toni looked at the box in Cheryl’s hands, glad that she was just as curious about it as she was. “What is it?” she asked, placing herself beside her as she took the lid off carefully, unfolding the tissue paper that surrounded whatever was inside. Though, it didn’t help her confusion at all when what looked like an amber colored rock was revealed to be inside.

“It is a fortune stone,” Cheryl placed the box on the mail table after picking the stone out of it, running the pad of her thumb over the smooth surface as she showed it to Toni, handing it to her.

The pinkette held the small stone in her careful grip, wondering what was so special about it. It was a simple grey rock that looked like it was halfway made of amber colored sea glass. “What’s it for?” she turned to her girlfriend, still tossing and turning the stone in her fingers.

Cheryl smiled as she looked at the gift, “It is very rare. It is sea glass and stone mixed together. We are told that they bring good fortune to whoever has them.”

“I’ve never even heard of this being possible,” Toni held it up to the light, watching it seep through the amber glass. She’d seen plenty of rocks and plenty of sea glass, but never morphed together like this.

“They are very hard to find,” Cheryl reached for it and clutched it to her chest like a hug before placing it back in the box, “We should keep it somewhere safe.”

“You can go put it in the jewelry box if you want,” the older girl suggested, watching Cheryl try to wrap it up nicely like it had been before she opened it. 

“Hey, you girls ready for the movie?” F.P. called over to them as he got up from the floor.

“Are we playing the movie hiding game?” Cheryl asked eagerly. That had become her favorite part of family nights at the Jones house. 

“Not tonight, kid, we always watch the same movie on Christmas Day,” the man shook his head and pulled out a DVD copy of Miracle on 34th Street. 

“Here, I’ll put it away. Is it okay if I put the pearls in there too? So they don’t get ruined?” Toni held her hand out to take the small gift box from her, waiting for her approval before she went into the bedroom, placing the fortune stone and pearl necklace in the jewelry box where a few handmade necklaces and Cheryl’s scallop shell pendant currently were. Toni always wore her locket now, so to avoid any potential mishaps, they made sure that Cheryl only wore her necklace from Al when she was going back to the ocean.

Grabbing Cheryl’s bottle of medicine, she made her way back out to the living room where everyone had made themselves comfortable as F.P. skipped through the previews. “Here, take this,” she sat down beside Cheryl who was already half wrapped in a large blanket. She poured a bit of the grape flavored liquid into the cup and handed it to her, smiling sympathetically at the adorable look of disgust on her face. But Cheryl took her medicine like a trooper, earning a kiss to her warm cheek as Toni cuddled up with her under the blanket. 

“There is no color. Like on I Love Lucy,” the redhead commented quietly as the movie started, resting her head on Toni’s shoulder with a yawn. The past few hours had completely worn her out. The sickness and medicine weren’t exactly helping keep her awake either. 

“Yeah, it’s pretty old. It’s really good, though,” Toni draped an arm around her and kissed the top of her head as she leaned back against the cushions. 

The six of them watched the movie in silence, though Cheryl fell asleep on Toni’s shoulder not long into the first half. But Toni just adjusted the blanket on her shoulder and cuddled her close as they watched the rest. She’d seen this movie every Christmas her whole life, but she never realized until now how similar she had been to the character of Doris. She was a realist with no interest in what she thought were childish fairytales, telling her young daughter that Santa Claus didn’t exist. 

_“It’s not a question of faith, it’s just common sense.”_

_”Faith is believing in things when common sense tells you not to. Don’t you see? It’s not just Kris that’s on trial, it’s everything he stands for. It’s kindness and joy and love and all the other intangibles.”_

She swallowed hard as she watched the heated interaction between Doris and Fred on screen. She’d been told all her life that the mermaid she saw when she nearly drowned was nothing short of a fantasy. A hallucination due to lack of oxygen. People told her she was just an imaginative child with her head in the clouds. And now here she was, madly in love with that very same mermaid. The one she’d let everyone convince her didn’t exist. And if it weren’t for Cheryl, Toni would probably still be the miserable girl she was who prioritized work over her happiness and relationships. The very ‘intangibles’ that Fred spoke of on the screen in front of her. 

_”Look, Doris. Someday you’re going to find out that your way of facing this realistic world just doesn’t work. And when you do, don’t overlook those lovely intangibles. You’ll discover they’re the only things that are worthwhile.”_

Looking down at her girlfriend, Toni smiled at the peaceful look on her sleeping face as she rubbed her side gently, finding herself more grateful than ever that she’d stumbled barefoot into her office back in August.

She stayed wrapped up with Cheryl after the movie was over, trying to hide from Betty’s phone camera as the blonde took advantage of the fact that Toni couldn’t move without waking her up. But relentless teasing aside, the pink haired girl loved the feeling of being surrounded by people she loved who loved her just as much. She couldn’t even put it into words. 

“Guess we should hit the road before it gets icy,” F.P. glanced at his watch before getting up from the armchair, prompting everyone else to do the same and start cleaning up the mess of wrapping paper around the living room. 

Nudging her girlfriend gently, Toni mumbled to her that everyone was leaving, helping her up to her feet after she blinked her eyes open. Hugs, kisses, and wishes of Merry Christmas were exchanged between the family of six along with the promise to inevitably see each other again soon. And after everyone said their goodbyes and told Cheryl to get well soon, they were alone in the apartment once again. 

“Come on,” Toni reached for Cheryl’s hand after getting the lights turned off and the door locked, leading her to their bedroom with her bottom lip held firmly between her teeth. “Wait here,” she sat the sleepy redhead down on the bed and disappeared into the closet, climbing to a high shelf for the square package wrapped in red paper that she’d been hiding for a few days. She stared down at the shiny red wrapping and silver bow, wondering what she was so nervous about. It wasn’t like she was proposing or anything. It was just a Christmas gift. One that was personal that she worked very hard on, but still just a Christmas gift.

“Here,” she sighed, going back out into their bedroom and sitting beside Cheryl, handing her the present.

“We already gave presents, Toni,” the redhead looked at the package curiously turning it around in her hands.

“I know, but this one’s more for just you and me. I didn’t want anyone else to see it yet,” she shrugged, watching with a rapid heartbeat as Cheryl ripped the paper open, revealing a large book that she sat in her lap.

“This book has our names on it,” she commented with an excited grin before opening the cover, her smile growing with each page she turned. 

“Whatcha think?” Toni quirked her head to the side even though it was obvious that Cheryl liked it.

“It is a book about us?” she asked, running her fingertips delicately over the photographs that covered the pages. Some were from Cheryl’s first few days in the city. Her with her balloon and ice cream in Central Park, selfies from the night they went to _Le Chalet_. And the photos only got more abundant as the story of their relationship was told through the photos on the pages.

“It’s a scrapbook,” Toni nodded, looking down at the decorated pages filled with photos and little sentimental things like movie ticket stubs and napkins from Pop’s with silly doodles and messages on them. 

Cheryl turned the pages enthusiastically, loving each and every page and the memories that came with them. There were some photos that had been taken on Halloween when they dressed up as Ariel and Eric, some of them with the family on Thanksgiving, babysitting, dog walking, just being together around the apartment, everything. Each page decorated with stickers and little notes that Toni had written as a reminder of what was happening certain pictures.

“It is not finished,” Cheryl frowned when she reached the last completed page, flipping through the blank ones to see if there were any more. 

“Well, that’s cause we’re not finished,” Toni explained, taking a deep breath, “We can keep filling in pages as we go along.”

“What if we use all the pages?”

“Then we get a new book and more supplies and we start another one,” she smiled as her heart beat like a drum in her chest, “I love you, Cheryl. More than I ever thought I could love another person. I don’t know where I’d be or what kind of miserable person I would be now if you hadn’t come into my life. And if it’s okay with you...I wanna finish the scrapbook with you...and the one after that, and all the other ones that come after.”

Cheryl’s eyes shined with what Toni hoped were happy tears, prompting her to continue in a ramble, “I mean, I don’t want you to feel like you have to. I know you like it here, and you’re pretty much better liked by my family than I am at this point, but I don’t want you to feel forced or anything, I just thought it was a cute idea but I’m really not great with sentimental stuff, but I did try really hard and-“

Her speed of light rambling was cut off by a pair of arms wrapping tightly around her neck, nearly choking her with pure love and affection. Instinctively, her own arms wrapped around Cheryl’s middle, holding her close as the redhead climbed into her lap to get as close to her as she could. 

“I love the scrapbook, Toni, and I love you even more,” Cheryl mumbled against her neck. Toni felt hot tears fall onto her skin before she pulled back to look her in the eye. “The ocean was once my home and it will always be where I am from, but my home is here in Riverdale with you. I am going to love you forever.”

The pinkette looked into the sincere brown eyes, seeing them shine with hope for their future behind the unshed tears. And she knew she didn’t want to go a single day for the rest of her life without those deep brown eyes looking back at her. 

Leaning up to kiss her gently, Toni smiled against the lips that tasted like awful grape medicine and cough drops, pouring as much emotion and passion into it as she could muster.

“Toni no, you will get sick too,” Cheryl pulled back with a worried expression, remembering what Toni said about kisses when she first came down with a fever.

“It’s okay, you’re worth the risk,” the older girl smirked and kissed her again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, that’s it! This fic has been so much fun to write! It feels like it was a long ass road with how many ideas we went through before we finally came up with a game plan to finish it. The concept was something I really just adored and I’m glad to see that other people seemed to enjoy it as well! It’s always fun to write characters (Cheryl, especially) as something/someone they’re not, and it always surprises me how readers seem to like the outrageous concepts as much as I do. 
> 
> And while it was a lot of fun to write, it wouldn’t have gotten finished if it weren’t for fanfic queen Maria who’s been cheering me on and helping me out since the idea came about. This was a collab whether she wants to admit it or not. Also big ol shoutouts to Michele and Hannah for their help and motivation as well! Especially when I was completely stuck.
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading! I see y’all on twitter and I get the notifications about comments and I love reading them whether they’re the longest, most heartfelt comments or short and sweet snippets of kind words! I really am glad that you all (once again) took a chance on one of my weird ideas and found some kind of enjoyment in it.
> 
> And I’m sorry if you were disappointed in the fact that there was no smut. I couldn’t do it. It didn’t feel right dsajfsdl


End file.
